This Introductory Learning Companion has been developed with the aim of providing an up-to-date, evidence-based, interdisciplinary resource for all types of learners, including those with little or no prior knowledge on economic and trade policy, or the interactions between trade and nature. This resource will help the readers: 1. Understand the role of trade in the global economy, and the major trends that have shaped the evolution of globalization. 2. Describe the mechanisms via which trade can promote or retard economic growth. 3. Appreciate the complex relationship between trade and inequality -between countries and within countries. 4. Understand the various mechanisms via which trade can affect nature - positively and negatively. 5. Appreciate trade's increasingly important role as a tool of sustainable development, in general, and environmental sustainability, more specifically.