October 2010:
Biodiversity may end up being the most critical environmental issue we face. While more and more medicinal uses are found for our plants and ever more intricate intradependance is found amongst our wild neighbours, up to a fifth of our plant and animal species are facing extinction.
Unlike previous years when little agreement was reached, this year's UN Conference on Biodiversity can be called a success, at least within the confines of their intended goals, as delegates from more than 190 countries meeting in Nagoya, Japan, agreed on 20 "strategic goals". These goals were agreed upon after 18 years of debate and frustration, and the plan is to implement them by 2020.
The agreements tie in species and habitat protection with global warming reduction and poverty reduction by addressing issues such as protection of clean water. The agreements not only cover expanding protected areas but more equitable sharing of the cost and benefits of scientific study with developing countries who have long recognized that their resources are hijacked by wealthier western countries who then reap the financial benefits.
Of course there's a lot of skepticism regarding whether or not these agreements will result in anything other than more of the same. Hopefully politics and greed can be minimized and we can look forward to more cooperative efforts on solving the problem of protecting our resources for the future.
January 23, 2010:
London was recently the site of an environmental gathering of government representatives from 54 countries, looking ahead to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in October in Nagoya, Japan. The organizers are working hard to ensure there's fundamental agreement on the purpose and issues to avoid a repeat of the discord that surfaced during the recent Copehagen Summit.
Biodiversity may end up being the most critical environmental issue we face. While more and more medicinal uses are found for our plants and ever more intricate intradependance is found amongst our wild neighbours, up to a fifth of our plant and animal species are facing extinction.
Unlike previous years when little agreement was reached, this year's UN Conference on Biodiversity can be called a success, at least within the confines of their intended goals, as delegates from more than 190 countries meeting in Nagoya, Japan, agreed on 20 "strategic goals". These goals were agreed upon after 18 years of debate and frustration, and the plan is to implement them by 2020.
The agreements tie in species and habitat protection with global warming reduction and poverty reduction by addressing issues such as protection of clean water. The agreements not only cover expanding protected areas but more equitable sharing of the cost and benefits of scientific study with developing countries who have long recognized that their resources are hijacked by wealthier western countries who then reap the financial benefits.
Of course there's a lot of skepticism regarding whether or not these agreements will result in anything other than more of the same. Hopefully politics and greed can be minimized and we can look forward to more cooperative efforts on solving the problem of protecting our resources for the future.
January 23, 2010:
London was recently the site of an environmental gathering of government representatives from 54 countries, looking ahead to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in October in Nagoya, Japan. The organizers are working hard to ensure there's fundamental agreement on the purpose and issues to avoid a repeat of the discord that surfaced during the recent Copehagen Summit.
While attention to reversing damage to the world's natural environment has fallen behind economic issues over the past several years, the international community recognizes that attention needs to be refocused on these issues. Curbing global warming and maintaining diversity of species are crucial to our future physical and economic health.
We have to restore the damage we've done to our eco systems. Will our swamps be able to continue filtering water when they're full of toxins? At what point do we reach the tipping point where we no longer have enough remaining plants and trees to absorb significant amounts of CO2 or send water back into the atmosphere for our use? Now that the US Supreme Court has determined large corporations can spend unlimited amounts of money to pursue their money making goals the safety of our natural resources is even more at risk.
Research is suggesting that even the decline of honeybees seen in many countries may be due, at least in part, to reduced plant diversity. It's been found that bees that are able to collect pollen from a greater variety of plants have better immune systems. We know we need a variety of foods and supports to be healthy, why would it be any different for the non-human creatures.The more species of plants and animals, insects and fish that we loose, the more our own health is threatened.
It's refreshing to see the international community planning ahead for success. Hopefully it will result in meaningful dialogue and agreement in October.
