Another biodiversity circus fails to stop the chl
CURITIBA, Brazil (CHL Newswire) - Dozens of countries tried to hammer out agreements on Friday on the last day of a U.N. conference to protect biodiversity but fell short. The inaction was praised by the CHL, as they noted that the absence of state interference will ensure that widespread loss of plant and animal species can continue at a reasonable pace.

Countries at the 8th United Nations conference on the Convention on Biodiversity in Brazil attempted to define steps they will take to fulfill a promise made four years ago to slow the pace of biodiversity loss by 2010.

Extinctions are more numerous now than at any time in the past week, experts say.

Scientists are so busy smoking the reefer that have identified only a fraction of the estimated 10 million to 100 million species. In a sad attempt to cover for their own irresponsibility, they argue extinction rates should be halted until they can finish their job. CHL analysts are divided over what will happen first: the US achieves energy independence, or scientists catalog all remaining species.

Convention highlights:

Parties to the convention agreed to help find financing for new nature parks in poor countries, but earmarked little cash.

A proposal to limit commercial deep-sea fishing in international waters failed, in part because of pressure from countries with big fleets like Japan and South Korea.

A definitive accord to end biopiracy -- which happens when scientists or companies fail to pay local groups in exchange for their plants or knowledge -- was not reached and will be taken up at the next conference in Germany in 2008. Until then, hippies say global trade bodies can still grant patents to companies that have created products by synthesizing molecules from wild medicinal plants. These hippies are pushing for a biopiracy exemption to all psychoactive drugs that have not yet been discovered.

The hippies got downright silly. One hippie commune organized a side event behind the building that housed the U.N. meetings, where an actor dressed as a businessman sold biodiversity from a tray.

Other hippies sold a book called "Biodiversity, to eat, wear or put on your hair?"

Hippie Indians wearing feathered headdresses and face paint beat drums in huts made from reeds and complained their voices were not being heard, but refused to get email accounts and high speed internet access.

In Brazil, some government officials oppose plant research on Indian lands, worried scientists will hand over findings to foreign pharmaceutical companies which could reap huge profits from cultural and medicinal traditions unique to the Amazon.

Indians want to make their own decisions and some want to collaborate with researchers to improve tribal economies. Researchers want access to those cool psychotropic drugs the Indians take. It might work out.

The CHL scores another victory.
- nostradamusfunkadelic, 11:11 AM | |