Environmental Concerns Facing the U.S. and Mexico: An International Perspective

This essay, "Environmental Concerns Facing the U.S. and Mexico: An International Perspective,” deals with environmental factors affecting the United States and Latin America. LaFevor focuses on Mexico, a nation with which the U.S. shares a 2,000-mile border. Air, water, forests, and animal resources are all part of a dynamic that affects the relationship between the two nations, and Dr. LaFevor notes how environmental problems in the U.S. (chemically saturated water from the Colorado River, for example) tend to leach south, into Mexico. LaFevor’s essay challenges students and scholars alike to view the environment as an important actor in the relationship between the two regions, and he acknowledges that there is room for continued collaboration, leadership, and creative thinking on this critically important topic.