Summary

North American economic integration, principally through the North American Free Trade Agreement, is creating important changes in Canadian -- United States -- Mexican relations. One of the important areas affected by these changes is the environment.

In Environmental Management on North America's Borders Richard Kiy and John D. Wirth have brought together a collection of timely studies written by experienced scholars and practitioners in border affairs that provides an introduction to the range of environmental issues on both borders and an understanding of the dynamics now transforming North America.

Transboundary environmental issues are not new to North America, but NAFTA has created new conditions in which a range of discrete phenomena can be treated as an integrated whole. A "paradigm shift, a new way of looking at things from a continental, or regional, perspective" has taken place.

Rather than examining only one border, or part of a border, at a time, this volume treats the two borders as one conceptual unit. Kiy and Wirth argue that the patterns of local participation and coalition-building are harbingers of an emerging North American community.

In addition to chapters by the editors examining the overall theme of transboundary environmental management in North America, three case studies explore environmental issues on the Canada -- United States border and six chapters examine specific issues on the Mexico -- United States border. A common thread running through these studies is the consideration of how cooperation and conflict affect the actions of citizens and governments as they manage transboundary environmental issues.