Clear Rules Needed To Govern Deep Sea Bioprospecting: UNU

SpaceDaily.com ^ | 6/10/05

[nuke rocketeer]

Japan (SPX) Jun 10, 2005 Vast genetic resources – "blue gold" on the international deep sea floor – need protection from unfettered commercial exploitation, warns a new report from the Japan-based United Nations University Institute for Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS). Increasingly recognized as important to humankind for their potential medical and other uses, deep sea resources are now more accessible and vulnerable than ever because of rapid advances in exploration technology, the report says.

Known as "extremophiles," the genetic make-up of organisms of the deep that live in extreme conditions of pressure, temperature and toxicity is drawing enormous interest from scientists and companies bioprospecting for possible pharmaceutical or industrial applications.

Already several valuable products have been created and there is growing recognition of the potential of deep sea genes to advance human welfare.

[nuke rocketeer]

Looks like another back door attempt by the UN to get more power and taxation authority.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

You can bet that if the environmentalists and the UN are against it, it is good for business and the US.

[ken5050]

I do NOT understand why Bush favors the LOST treaty..

[zeugma]

This is what the LOST treaty is about. Personally, I think it should stay lost. Problem is, the globalists (which unfortunately includes Bush) want it really bad. They'll keep pushing it until it goes through. I think we ought to put a time limit on treaties where if they aren't ratified by 5 years after they've been signed, they expire. They started doing this on constitutional amendment proposals, and I think it would be a good thing for treaties too.

[uglybiker]

RFE List PING.