The Environmental Side Agreement sets forth a broad array of goals and
objectives in Article I. Specifically, the Agreement aims to ensure that governments
properly implement their own environmental laws. The Agreement establishes
mechanisms to investigate allegations of environmental wrongdoing,
arbitrate environmental disputes, and occasionally to sanction countries that fail
to adequately respond to corrective measures.7 The Agreement's goals include
promoting sustainable development based on cooperation, encouraging conservation,
avoiding trade distortions or new trade barriers, preventing pollution,
and increasing public participation.8 The objectives emphasize the need for nations
to balance environmental protection against numerous countervailing concers,
including ecology, economics, intergenerational equity, and sovereignty.