Caption: The government confined, sealed off and buried the contamination deep underground, then put basketball courts on top because more intense construction on the site would risk digging up toxic materials., Credit: Adrian Florido

Image by: Adrian Florido

The government confined, sealed off and buried the contamination deep underground, then put basketball courts on top because more intense construction on the site would risk digging up toxic materials.

NAFTA #7 - ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

From: Fronteras Desk
Series: NAFTA - 20 YEARS LATER
Length: 08:26

One of the biggest concerns when NAFTA was signed 20 years ago, was the environmental fallout of the world's largest free trade zone. We look at what was put in place to safeguard the environment and whether or not it works. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: NAFTA #7 - ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
From: Fronteras Desk

Tijuana_basketball_courts_small When the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed 20 years ago, environmental activists were concerned that lax protections in Mexico would result in widespread environmental problems. NAFTA created a commission to follow-up on citizens' complaints, and we explore how well that commission has worked to protect the environment.

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Piece Description

When the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed 20 years ago, environmental activists were concerned that lax protections in Mexico would result in widespread environmental problems. NAFTA created a commission to follow-up on citizens' complaints, and we explore how well that commission has worked to protect the environment.

Broadcast History

Broadcast as part of a nine part series on the 20th anniversary of the signing of NAFTA on the Fronteras Desk.

Transcript

FEATURE --

ANCHOR: When the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed 20 years ago, one of the big concerns was how the treaty would impact the environment. Would factories rush south of the border to take advantage of lax environmental enforcement? In the latest story in our NAFTA 20 YEARS LATER series, Fronteras reporter Adrian Florido looks at the state of environmental protections in the free trade era.
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After Nafta was signed, eastern Tijuana experienced a building frenzy. One industrial park after another sprung up to accommodate the hundreds of American factories that came here in search of cheap labor.

Magdalena Cerda is an environmental activist, and she’s brought me to the edge of one of those sprawling complexes, to some barren, empty concrete basketball courts.

CERDA: “Una celda de estabilizacion, se llama. Tenemos aqui 42 mil toneladas de tierra y material pe...
Read the full transcript