TRade & ENvironment Database

The TREND database (updated in 2022) identifies nearly 300 different types of environmental provisions in 775 trade agreements. The codebook, with a full description of each coded item, is available here. The complete dataset is available here and a dyadic version is available here.

Citation for the dataset: Morin, JF, A. Dür and L. Lechner (2018), "Mapping the trade and environment nexus: Insights from a new dataset", Global Environmental Politics, vol. 18(1). (replication dossier can be downloaded here)

TREND was built by Jean-Frédéric Morin and his team, thanks to funding provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Center for International Governance Innovation (CIGI).

It relies on trade agreements provided by the Design of Trade Agreements (DESTA) project. 

The German Development Institute / Deutsches Institute für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) has created a online analytic tool, allowing users to explore the TREND database. It is available at www.TRENDanalytics.info

TREND gave rise to several publications, including :

• Brandi, C, K. Holzer, JF Morin and H. van Asselt 2024 "Taking Climate Change Seriously in the Design of Trade Agreement". in The Concept Design 21 Century Trade Agreements, Cambridge University Press
• Brandi, C & JF Morin (2023) Trade and the Environment: Drivers and Effects of Environmental Provisions in Trade Agreements. Cambridge University Press. 
• Stender, F. C. Brandi and JF Morin (2022) "Do Greener Trade Agreements Call for Side-Payments", Journal of Environment and Development. 31(2): 111-138.
• Laurens, N, C. Brandi & J-F Morin (2022) "Climate and Trade Policies: From Silos to Integration" Climate Policy 22(2): 248-253.
• Kim, R & JF Morin (2021) “A Bird’s-eye View of the Trade-Environment Supercluster Complex”, Global Environmental Politics,  21 (3): 26–48.
• Jinnah, S and JF Morin (2020) Greening through Trade, Cambridge: MIT Press.
• Brandi, C, Schwab, J, Berger, A and JF Morin (2020) “Do Environmental Provisions in Trade Agreements Make Exports from Developing Countries Greener?”, World Development 129, 104899.
• Blümer, D, JF Morin, C. Brandi and A Berger (2020) “Defending Regulatory Space or Pursuing Offensive Interests?”, Environmental Politics  29(5): 866-889
• Hollway, J, JF Morin and J Pauwelyn (2020) “The Introduction of New Environmental Clauses to the Trade Regime”, International Environmental Agreements 20(1): 61-83.
• Laurens N and JF Morin (2019) “Negotiating Environmental Protection in Trade Agreements”, International Environmental Agreements 19(6) 533-556.
• Morin, JF, D Blümer, C Brandi and A Berger (2019) “Explaining the Varying Frequency of PTAs’ Environmental Provisions”, World Economy 42(9): 2602-2628.
• Brandi, C, D Blümer and JF Morin (2019) “When do International Treaties Matter for Domestic Environmental Legislation”, Global Environmental Politics 19(4): 14-44.
• Laurens N, Z Dove, JF Morin and S Jinnah (2019) “NAFTA 2.0: The Greenest Trade Agreement Ever?” World Trade Review 42(9): 2602-2628.
• Morin, JF and S Jinnah (2018) “The Untapped Potential of Preferential Trade Agreements for Climate Governance”, Environmental Politics 27(3): 541-565.
• Morin, JF, A Dür and L Lechner (2018) “Mapping the Trade and Environment Nexus: Insights from a New Dataset”, Global Environmental Politics 18(1): 122-133.
• Morin, JF and M Rochette (2017) “Transatlantic Convergence of PTAs’ Environmental Clauses” Business and Politics 19(4): 621-658.
• Morin, JF, J Pauwelyn and J Hollway (2017) “The Trade Regime as a Complex Adaptive System”, Journal of International Economic Law 20(2): 365-390.
• Morin, JF, V Chaudhuri and M Gauquelin (2018) “Do Trade Deals Encourage Environmental Cooperation?” DIE Briefing Paper 8.
• Morin, JF and C Bialais (2018) “Strengthening Multilateral Environmental Governance through Bilateral Trade Deals”, CIGI Policy Brief 123.
• Morin, JF and R Gauthier Nadeau (2017) “Environmental Gems in Trade Agreements: Little-known Clauses for Progressive Trade Agreements”, CIGI Papers no. 148. 
• Morin, JF, L Mordelet and M Rochette (2017) “The Environment in Canadian Trade Agreements”, Policy Options.
• Morin, JF and M. Gauquelin (2016) “Trade Agreements as Vectors for the Nagoya Protocol's Implementation”, CIGI Papers no. 115. 
• Morin, JF, N Michaud and C Bialais (2016) “Trade Negotiations and Climate Governance: The EU as a Pioneer, but not (yet) a leader", IDDRI Issue Brief, 10/16.
• Morin, JF and G Beaumier (2016) “TPP Environmental Commitments: Combining the US Adversarial and the EU Sectorial Approaches” ICTSD BioRes, April.

For more information on TREND, please contact Jean-Frédéric Morin.