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UN Seals Historic Treaty to Protect Ecosystems
NAGOYA, Japan – A historic global treaty to protect the world's forests, coral reefs and other threatened ecosystems within 10 years was sealed at a UN summit on Saturday.
An area of Sumatran forest cleared by a logging company. One of the most significant elements of the accord was a commitment to protect 17 percent of land and 10 percent of oceans so that biodiversity there could thrive. Greenpeace expressed disappointment at the new targets, which delegates said were lowered on the insistence of China and some other developing countries. (AFP) Rich and poor nations agreed to take "effective and urgent" action
to curb the destruction of nature in an effort to halt the loss of the
world's biodiversity on which human survival depends.
Delegates from 193 countries committed to key goals such as curbing pollution, protecting forests and coral reefs, setting aside areas of land and water for conservation, and managing fisheries sustainably.
"This is a day to celebrate," UN Environment Programme chief Achim Steiner said straight after the accord was struck early on Saturday morning following nearly two weeks of tense talks in the central Japanese city of Nagoya.
Hosts Japan hailed the agreement, Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara saying: "From now on, our country will contribute to the protection of biodiversity and positively support developing countries' efforts to implement the Nagoya protocol, with technologies and knowledge our country has."
Delegates and green groups also said the accord offered hope that the United Nations could help to solve the planet's many environmental problems, particularly after the failure of climate change talks in Copenhagen last year.
One of the most significant elements of the accord was a commitment to protect 17 percent of land and 10 percent of oceans so that biodiversity there could thrive.
Currently only 13 percent of land and one percent of oceans are protected.
Nevertheless, Greenpeace expressed disappointment at the new targets, which delegates said were lowered on the insistence of China and some other developing countries.
There were other limitations to the Nagoya pact -- including that the United States was not a signatory as it is one of the few countries not to have ratified the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
But while some green groups said the 20-point plan was not as ambitious as hoped, most still welcomed it as a historic step towards united global action in tackling biodiversity problems and raising awareness about the issue.
"Governments have sent a strong message that protecting the health of the planet has a place in international politics and countries are ready to join forces to save life on Earth," WWF International director general Jim Leape said.
Greenpeace International stood out among the major environment groups with a critical stance.
Greenpeace had been pushing for 20 percent of oceans to be conserved, as a step towards an eventual target of 40-percent preservation.
"Alarm bells have been ringing for decades, and developed nations have been hitting the snooze button by delaying both action on and funding for environmental protection," Greenpeace said in a statement.
The accord was clinched after a last-minute breakthrough on an 18-year stand-off over "fairly" sharing the benefits and knowledge of genetic resource riches that are found mostly in developing countries.
Brazil, home to much of the Amazon basin and its global treasure trove of resources, had insisted throughout the summit that it would not agree to the 20-point strategic plan unless there was also a deal on genetic riches.
Brazil and other developing countries argued powerful nations and companies should not be allowed to freely take genetic resources such as wild plants to make medicines, cosmetics and other products for huge profits. Facts on UN treaty
They had been battling developed countries -- where most of the drug and other companies that enjoy the benefits of genetic resources are based -- over the issue since the CBD was formed at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992.
The European Union led developed nations in finally agreeing to the so-called Access and Benefits Sharing Protocol to ensure success on the 20-point strategic plan.
The legally binding protocol will ensure countries with genetic resources enjoy some of the profits of the assets' commercial development.
However many details of the protocol, such as how much this may cost pharmaceutical companies and developed nations, were left for later negotiations.
UN chiefs told the opening of the summit that forging a global consensus on protecting nature was vital to stop the mass extinction of animals and plant species.
Nearly a quarter of mammals, one-third of amphibians and more than a fifth of plant species now face the threat of extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Pressure will only grow with the world's human population expected to rise from 6.8 billion to nine billion by 2050.
19 Comments so far
Show AllRight. Just like all the other "historic treaties" have protected the biosphere. This is just another useless gesture. The delegates did more harm than good to the environment just traveling to the summit to produce another worthless treaty that no nation will follow.
agreed; it's very easy to sign a treaty...................
You are both correct.
Hosts Japan hailed the agreement, Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara saying: "From now on, our country will contribute to the protection of biodiversity and positively support developing countries' efforts to implement the Nagoya protocol, with technologies and knowledge our country has."
how? by exporting Whale killing technology? is that you assholes protect biodiversity?
not to mention the dolphin slaughters................
"Greenpeace had been pushing for 20 percent of oceans to be conserved, as a step towards an eventual target of 40-percent preservation."
I would suggest a goal of 5% allowed for humans. Why is Greenpeace being so liberal (this is one area where we ought to be serious conservatives)?
Excellent point. Our commitments should be about our own activity and our own humility. Claiming to "protect" or "save" certain areas or percentages only continues the mythology of euro-centric humanism in which "man is the measure of all things."
The old Earth First! concept of "re-wilding" the majority of N America, pulling back human technological / industrial "reality" into specified corridors and leaving the rest of the land the f**k alone, makes a lot more sense to me than this babble.
Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. And like the Titanic, we're all going down.
Of course i could be wrong, and we'll see immediate transformation of the general direction of human development, with serious new restrictions on industry, technology, and the economy, starting in 2011... don't hold your breath...
"The old Earth First! concept of "re-wilding" the majority of N America, pulling back
human technological / industrial "reality" into specified corridors and leaving the rest of the land the f**k alone"
Interesting idea. Do you have a good link to their plan?
"Our commitments should be about our own activity and our own humility. Claiming to "protect" or "save" certain areas or percentages only continues the mythology of euro-centric humanism in which "man is the measure of all things." "
To do this would require the leaders of the world to come together with the intention of spiritually re-aligning themselves, and undoing decades, centuries even, of inculcated myth-making. This will require serious imagination and deep ethical courage that the leaders of our world are largely lacking. I honestly believe a spiritual awakening to the value and necessity of protecting future generation and this world's ecology is the only way we can gather the momentum and clarity of purpose to achieve a real solution. Only by fostering this bedrock of collective urgency through elevating our situation to an ontological threat (remember Reagan saying humanity needed an alien invasion to unite us) can we work together on the levels necessary to create real change.
Saving the world is not a technical, economic, or intellectual issue to be solved by a panacea-formula. It is a spiritual issue requiring a deep awakening, altering and raising of awareness about all that is truly at stake at this stage in history.
–SS
ps. If 'man' is not the measure of all things, what is? Remember, it is 'man' [humanity] that created the concept, so far as we're concerned, of measurement itself.
Here's a right-wing anti-green page that gives the basic history of the project:
http://www.undueinfluence.com/wildlands_disambiguation.htm
And here's the current incarnation of the organization:
http://www.wildlandsnetwork.org/
As to the measuring question, i think any "spiritual awakening" that leads us to live in awe of the mystery of existence, and to treasure the mystery of life on Earth, would bring deep humility and abolish any claim that existence only exists due to our awareness of it, or that measure only exists because we came up with the concept.
i'm not interested in philosophical arguments about this. Philosophy proves that we truly cannot know anything. Everything is mystery. We act as if our consciousness and material existence are real - what else can we do? - but really, mystery is all we know. Given these basic truths, either way, we need humility in the face of existence - our own existence, and the existence of this living world in this vast cosmos.
Very nice comment based on love and reason.
Western/modern culture is based on vanity and arrogance; every man a king, every woman a queen, all made in their god's image. They have it all figured out, they worship themselves.
Ever notice that christians have commandeered time? The years are marked and numbered relative to their god's son, the guy in the torture symbol. All existence revolves around the book their god couldn't write, let alone in different languages. The book declares them rulers over the world, their dominion. If anyone gets in their way, then it is righteous to slay the unholy heretics.
Religions should be exposed for the lies that they are and discarded.
I am not a king.
Knowledge is an illusion,
Wisdom a dream.
Life is a gift to be returned.
Not having much of an ecosystem of one's own left to protect probably makes it easier to sign such 'historic' treaties obliging others to protect theirs -- at least until 'globalized' corporate interests can get around to wrecking them too.
Hooray, we're saved! Lets go for a ride in the Hummer to celebrate!
OK! we can take a ride down to Starbucks drivethrough and then to Wal-Mart to stock up on some junk products laden with cadmium, lead, BpA etc. made by the neo-serfs of neo-lib global capitalism.
Why wait 10 years? And so it goes ...
Ah yes, treaties. The Native Americans signed many treaties giving them tracts of land of their very own, "as long as the sun shall shine, the rivers run and the grass grows"
Then, the land became valuable (minerals, oil, farm land) and one day in Winter, on a dark, heavily overcast day, when the river had frozen and the grass was buried under the drifts, the cavalry rode in with guns blazing, slaughtering men, women and children. In Spring, came the miners, the farmers and the cattle ranchers.
For the wealthy, with their eye on something they somehow missed, to paraphrase the Treasure of the Sierra Madre,
"Treaties? Treaties? We don't need no stinkin' treaties!"
Another worthless piece of paper, because nothing will happen unless we change the way we live.
Just because Buck doesn't understand and contradicts himself with nonsense is no reason to attack religion per say. Respect others' religious beliefs but lets not be fooled into accepting lies and distortions either. That those who claim to be Christian for can wage unnecessary wars and suffering on others in no way means they are Christians. Quite the opposite in fact. To be a Christian is a difficult and noble aspiration. Some have faith others do not. Far from being blind faith there are numerous examples on record of individual evolution in a spiritual sense. The same would apply to those of Muslim faith and of Bhuddist practitoners among others.
There is a spiritual world to explore. Existence implies we didn't make ourselves. But within mankind is a potential and religion has been essential to many evolved souls.
Personally, it seems to me that it is more astonishing that people don't believe or tend to the view that there must be a God than that they become convinced that there cannot be.
Any attempt to use force on others in the promotion of religious views is wrong. Incalculable damage is done in the name of 'religion'. To take Christianity as an example, the continuation of such an approach has nothing whatsoever to do with the teachings of Jesus Christ. The so called 'Christians' who defy experience and logic in attempting to accomplish their aims are no more Christian than the man in the moon is. Similarly those of Jewish or Muslim faith are encouraged by leaders to follow paths that lead to destructive and harmful relations. These leaders are no more Jewish or Muslim in essence either. Religions are perverted and used for other aims that go against all the tenants of true religious meanings in relation to life on earth.
All is vanity. Yes Buck its too true that 'the most powerful man in the world' spouted about being a 'compassionate conservative' while initiating a 'crusade' as a follower of his God's instructions. But who in their right mind believes such a leader to be a Christian? A leadership that claims to be on a Christian mission to set the world free? So by all means rail against false religious motives and perverted religious ideology but remember that it is so far removed from its founders stated position. While one is fully entitled not to believe anything it is quite another matter to speak of the 'commandeering of time' by 'they who have it all figured out' and to conclude that religion should bye the bye be discarded. Stalin would have been proud to promote your views.
If you have something constructive to offer in relation to your deep knowledge and understanding of this god and the book he couldn't write then by all means lets examine its contents Buck. The leader and teacher was Jesus Christ throughout. What did he have to say and what did he teach? You may well think what he taught was a load of rubbish but don't try and spout on here in an insulting and demeaning way about what it is others are doing when contrary to these teachings and then simply condemn religions. Just because armies march under the banner of a Christian cross and believe that they are going to be beamed up in Armageddon doesn't mean religion should be discarded. That 'symbol of torture' you so disparagingly suggest the x to be has real meaning to countless millions of followers of the Christian faith. It is a symbol of sacrifice volunteered for their redemption by the one who claims to be from God the father and a Son of Man. Rather it means that false teachers and leaders should be exposed as hypocrits.
Would that there were true religious understanding and peaceful co-operation on earth to share Mother natures bounty equitably and to foster friendship. As for those kings and queens you speak about let them have the time of their lives.
The story in that book is a demonstration that there is no Justice to be had on earth where hypocrisy rules. Christ spoke about hypocrites. The unclean within and the majesty without may be evident to perceptive persons in the present unfolding. Direct your attacks on their perverted aims by all means. But don't speak so about others when they chose to believe in a Creator and a God who has blessed them with this life on earth. As above,so below. 'The first shall be last and the last shall be first'.
Lbanus wrote: who claim to be Christian for can wage unnecessary wars and suffering on others in no way means they are Christians.
Well. OK. People who thought they were Christians but weren't really...that would be, um, the ones who were responsible for the European (500 years), Spanish (300 years), and other Inquisitions, the Witch hunts, the missionaries who destroyed indigenous religions and religious artifacts throughout the world, the priests who sexually abused children, the ones who banned Native American Religion until 1978, the folks who were hanging Quakers on the East Coast,the religious who participated in the rape of the Congo ...so that would leave who, exactly, to be 'real' Christians?
Just the fact that they agreed to any treaty, whether or not it is upheld, is an accomplishment. Compare it to the Copenhagen farce. In the latter, two nations that wanted a significant document, and wouldn't sign on, were penalized with withdrawn aid; courtesy of President Obamascam.
If not adhered to the treaty will at least give some leverage in exposing the hypocracy of any of the non-cooperative signatores.
To those who expect to have it all now- try stopping a moving train by standing in front of it. Or seriously, check out Al Jazeera's series called "Empire", on the global elite. You'll find that most of the people at that conference don't really call the shots.