Related Posts
Is the biodiversity summit in Nagoya bound to fail?You may not know this, but since the 1970’s, more than 40 percent of the earth’s species (plants...
UN biodiversity chief: Destroy nature, increase poverty and insecurity
In advance of a major UN meeting for the Convention on Biological Diversity, the organization’s secretary-general, Ahmed Djoghlaf,...
International biodiversity news: UN and EU take steps to preserve ecosystems
2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity, under the auspices of the UN and the Convention on Biological...
UN biodiversity study explores nature’s true value
Economist Pavan Sukhdev is the independent study leader of a European Union research project, The Economics of Ecosystems...
UN meetings highlight biodiversity loss and looming food crisis
According to recent estimates, species are disappearing at 1,000 times the natural rate due to human activity and...
Tip of the Day
Keep eggs out of the fridge to save energy when cooking them
Biodiversity summit in Nagoya. Is there a text at the end of the tunnel?
Image by kevinzim (source: Flickr)
I was reading an article in The Guardian yesterday, in which George Monblot expressed is view on the success, or should I say failure, of last week’s Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya. According to him “we’ve been conned. The deal to save the natural world never happened”. Already, I like the guy.
But let’s get back to the subject matter for a minute. The big biodiversity convention that was going to change the way we treat plants, animals and nature did in fact produce a declaration, proclaimed by the senior staff of the convention, in tune with major national and international newspapers as “a great success” (to say it in George Monblot’s words). But there it is, right in our faces. No one has seen, let alone read, the said declaration. And this doesn’t only bother Monblot, it bothers me too.
Because of that annoying feeling, and because he grabbed my attention, I carefully read his article yesterday, and I suggest you do to. Mister Monblot has some very interesting things to say about nature and economics, and the reason why governments are not in any hurry to put a stop to the destruction of natural wealth in the struggle to make money.
It suits governments to let us trash the planet. It’s not just that big business gains more than it loses from converting natural wealth into money. A continued expansion into the biosphere permits states to avoid addressing issues of distribution and social justice: the promise of perpetual growth dulls our anger about widening inequality. By trampling over nature we avoid treading on the toes of the powerful.
Read the full article from The Guardian here.
Tags: biodiversity summit, convention on biodiversity, declaration, george monblot, japan, Nagoya, Nature, wildlife
One comment
You can also log in to post a comment.
Other Greenfudge.org posts
Perhaps we should all take Chávez’s advice and drink juice instead of Coke
photo by Esteban Maringolo (Flickr CC) Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is urging Venezuelans to stop buying foreign sugary sodas like Coke and Pepsi and switch to locally produced fruit juice. According to the Associated Press, Venezuela currently imports most of its food and drinks, so Chávez's advice is at the same time economic and health-related with an obvious political element. Besides advocating the state-produced grape juice Uvita, he has also promoted Venezuelan wine. Though Chávez's words are sure to anger some, especially...
“Live in Harmony with Nature” at Sweden’s New Treehotel
Did you ever have (or want) a tree house when you were a kid? If so, then you might be interested in new accommodations available in Sweden. Located in the village of Harads (about 60 km south of the Arctic Circle), the Treehotel offers some rather unique and eco-friendly lodgings for the world traveler, or locals wanting to get away for a while. There are 6 rooms available, each with a different design and theme; plus a tree sauna—making this the...
Latest on Iceland volcano: Navy sent to fetch stranded Britons, Kenyan farmers feel effects of flight ban
The Telegraph reports that the ash cloud from Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano that lingers over much of Europe could continue to be blown over the UK until Friday, but specific conditions will depend on wind directions and the height of the ash plume. An article in the Guardian tells of how the UK government is attempting to find solutions for the massive amount of British tourists and travelers stuck overseas. Bus, ferry and train services have all increased their capacities, while an...
The sex slaves of Iraq
(source: Flickr Creative Commons) Inmates at Bagdad female juvenile prison face punishment from the state and rejection or worse at home – often for simply being victims of the crimes of others. The victims of human trafficking and sexual slavery in Iraq face prosecution, unfair treatment, draconian laws and societal stigmas. The justice system is cruel and unjust, but the world outside offers little compassion or understanding for these young women. Sometimes prison may be the best option in a society where...
Urban wildlife around the globe
Most of us associate wildlife with the countryside rather than with cities, unless you count cockroaches, rats and pigeons as wildlife (and why not, they are alive and not domesticated). However, urban environments can be unlikely havens for certain species that thrive or at least hang on to tiny remnants of their original habitats. Larger animals can pose complications, such as the exploding deer population in Washington, DC. And by exploding, I was referring to their numbers, not the actual deer. That...
TwitChange: The First Ever Celebrity Tweet Auction!
Twitter wants to make a change and yesterday marked the beginning of that change. Between September 15th and 25th, you can take part in the big TwitChange auction event. Users get to bid on their favorite celebrities. Winners of the auction will be followed by their celebrity choice, have a tweet of theirs retweeted by the celebrity, and may even be mentioned by the celebrity in their own special tweet! Oh yes, and there is more. Different celebrities are also offering some...
Since Russia is on fire and losing crops, they could probably use a seed bank
Record summer temperatures and drought have caused around 800 wildfires, which in turn covered Moscow in a cloud of poisonous smoke. Now some 28 fires have reached parts of the Bryansk region of Russia, which is located near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine – site of the worst nuclear accident in history in 1986. This is raising concerns that the fires could release radioactivity left over from the Chernobyl disaster, which heavily contaminated parts of Bryansk. From a Spiegel...
China moves toward concentrating solar power plants
Having already made great strides in renewable energy production in the form of massive wind and photovoltaic solar panel projects, China is now building solar power plants of another type: concentrating solar power. Concentrating solar plants use large numbers of mirrors which generate electricity by capturing heat and producing steam. Europe and the United States have experienced a sudden and marked increase in plans for these types of plants during the last two years and now, according to an article...
Breaking News: Flash Floods and Mudslides Kill 56 People in Indonesia
Floods are taking the world by storm lately--literally. We have them in the US, they're happening over in Asia and Europe, and all of them are claiming lives. This latest report focuses on the area of West Papua, Indonesia, where at least 56 people were killed by flooding. Dozens of others are still missing and over 60 people were injured, many with broken bones and most needing to be life-flighted (transported via helicopter) to medical services. In addition to the dead and...
The Search Continues for Arkansas Flood Victims
The search continues in Arkansas after a flood swept through a campground in the state and killed at least 18 people. So far, 15 of the 18 victims have been publicly identified. The death toll includes at least 6 children—3 of which were from Louisiana—plus 3 others from Louisiana and 6 from Texas. Only 1 of the identified was actually from Arkansas. Rescue workers have been scouring the campground for signs of life or death, though with all the debris it could...
View all articles
Hi,
The results of the meeting are online, as it turns out: http://www.cbd.int/nagoya/outcomes/