Canada and UK Presented with "Prestigious" Dodo Award
Convention on Biological Diversity cites countries "failure to evolve"
Attendees of this year's Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) announced this week that Canada and the UK are the recipients of their annual Dodo Awards.
"The Awards, named after the Dodo Bird--the quintessential symbol of biodiversity loss," explained the CBD Alliance, a loose network of civil society organizations and individuals, "signify governments' failure to evolve."
At the ceremony--during which an Alliance member dressed in traditional dodo garb presents winners with a certificate--a Canadian representative was given the first award.
"Most deserving of the award," Silvia Ribero of the ETC Group cited the recent discovery of the "huge ocean fertilization experiment" that was carried out with the government's knowledge. Canada was further chastised for breaching the moratorium on ocean fertilization and geo-engineering adopted by the CBD in 2008 and 2010.
The United Kingdom was also bestowed with this honor for their work "behind the scenes blocking the EU and the CBD from adopting a precautionary approaching to synthetic biology and geo engineering." Presenter Helena Paul of EcoNexus went on to explain that, for the benefit of their economy, the UK hopes to emerge as a leader in these technologies and are "keen to commodify biodiversity."
The other nominees this year were Brazil, China and Paraguay; previous recipients of the award include former Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin.