Many political leaders of the Global South oppose linkages between trade liberalization and
environmental protection. We examine whether citizens in developing countries share this
position. Whereas a recent study finds that, in industrialized countries, environmental concerns
are associated with protectionist sentiments, we hypothesize that citizens in poorer countries
are likely to view the trade-environment nexus in a more positive light. We fielded a combination
of surveys and conjoint experiments in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Vietnam to test this
argument. The results show that citizens are concerned about negative environmental
implications of trade. Yet, individuals with greener preferences are also more supportive of trade
liberalization. Furthermore, and in contrast to prevailing government rhetoric, the majority of
citizens support environmental clauses in trade agreements. These findings suggest that there
might be room for more ambitious efforts to include environmental standards in international
trade agreements.