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VIDEOWhat started out as a supposedly serious COP15 UN Conference on Biodiversity in Montreal quickly broke down into hilarious chaos. It could have even been a SCTV skit although it was hilariously real. All that was missing was perhaps an appearance at the conference by an angry Johnny LaRue or perhaps Bobby Bittman singing an over-the-top schmaltzy COP15 unity song.

The way food is grown around the world threatens 24,000 of the 28,000 species that are at risk of extinction, according to a report published Wednesday that calls on world leaders to urgently reform the global food system. Plants and animals are dying out at a rate that is at least tens — if not hundreds — of times faster than the average over the past 10 million years, according to the report, which was published by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), British think tank Chatham House, and animal welfare organization Compassion in World Farming. The decline has mostly...

A decade-long global effort to save Earth’s disappearing species and declining ecosystems has mostly stumbled, with fragile habitats like coral reefs and tropical forests in more trouble than ever, researchers said in a report Tuesday. In 2010, more than 150 countries agreed to goals to protect nature, but the new United Nations scorecard found that the world has largely failed to meet 20 different targets to safeguard species and ecosystems. Six of those 20 goals were “partially achieved,” and the rest were not. […] Inger Andersen, who leads the U.N. environment program, called it a global failure. “From COVID-19 to...

My address to the Colorado Independent Cattlemen’s Association I’m not a cattleman and I’m not going to pretend I know everything you are facing. But I do know that the major weapon being used against your industry is the misnamed control devise called Sustainable Development. I know why and I know who the players are. I hope I can leave you today with some ideas on how to fight them. To begin, let’s set the terms and make one thing very clear. The use of the word sustainable may sound like a comfortable term, not threatening. After all, you, your...

In January, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission voted not to allow the reintroduction of wolves back into the state. That's too bad, because wolves are coming. They may already be here. You don't think so? Then why is there a wolf-sighting form on the wildlife commission's website, and why do so many Coloradans claim to have seen canis lupus in the high country? Theories on how top-tier predators are crucial in ordering and stabilizing landscapes have now been proven. To understand the potential for wolves in Colorado, we can study lessons learned from two decades of wolf recovery in...

It appears that there is much more to the Hammond/Bundy story than meets the eye. For a bit of history, let’s go to Tri-State Livestock News:

Never let it be said that Mother Nature doesn’t appreciate irony. A new study led by researchers at Occidental College and the University of California at Santa Barbara has found that the oil platforms dotting the California coast are fantastic for sea life. In a 15-year study, researchers found that the ecosystems that build up around artificial rigs host 1,000 percent more fish and other sea life than natural habitats such as reefs and estuaries. The California rigs outstripped even famously rich ecosystems such as the coral reefs of French Polynesia. Now, as a big fan of artificial reefs, I...

UN Biodiversity Conference Pushes Global Redistribution, Restriction, Regimentation 20 October 2014 “Resource mobilization” and “capacity building” were two of the key terms that dominated the recently concluded United Nations “biodiversity” conference in Korea. “Resource mobilization,” as the reader may guess, refers to increasing government funding (i.e., increasing taxation) to support biodiversity programs and research. “Capacity building,” a favorite phrase at the UN, refers to foreign aid transfers from the developed to the lesser developed countries, which means either government-to-government or government-to-UN agency transfers of wealth.The 12th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP12) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity...

After decades of paranoid hemming and hawing, last month the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management finally approved oil exploration in Federal waters along the Atlantic coast from Delaware to Florida.‘The announcement is the first real step toward what could be a transformation in coastal states,” says the Associated Press report, “creating thousands of jobs to support a new energy infrastructure. But it dismayed environmentalists and people who owe their livelihoods to fisheries and tourism.”Alas, this “dismay” afflicts only the greenies from Delaware to Florida. From New Jersey up through New England the greenie hysteria against offshore oil exploration prevailed....

From a devilish-looking bat to a frog that sings like a bird, scientists have identified 126 new species in the Greater Mekong area, the WWF said in a new report detailing discoveries in 2011. But threats to the region's biodiversity mean many of the new species are already struggling to survive, the conservation group warned. "The good news is new discoveries. The bad news is that it is getting harder and harder in the world of conservation and environmental sustainability," Nick Cox, manager of WWF-Greater Mekong's Species Programme, said.

Biodiversity is declining rapidly throughout the world. The challenges of conserving the world's species are perhaps even larger than mitigating the negative effects of global climate change. Dealing with the biodiversity crisis requires political will and needs to be based on a solid scientific knowledge if we are to ensure a safe future for the planet. This is the main conclusion from scientists from University of Copenhagen, after 100 researchers and policy experts from EU countries were gathered this week at the University of Copenhagen to discuss how to organise the future UN Intergovernmental Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services,...

Which is more important: reduce America’s dependence on foreign energy sources, or add 2.85 million acres to the existing 200 million acres of protected areas? According to the United Nations, 27% of the total land area in the United States is already locked up in some kind of protected area and 67% of the total marine area. This means, of course, that there can be no development of energy or other natural resources in 27% of the nation’s land and 67% of the nation’s marine resources. Only the most avid preservationist, or the most anti-American, could possibly choose to lock...

From the 18'th to the 29'th October this year the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) was held in Japan. This conference is held because of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which is an United Nations international agreement which came into force in 1993. The purpose of the Convention is stated on their website: The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) entered into force on 29 December 1993. It has 3 main objectives: 1. The conservation of biological diversity 2. The sustainable use of the components of biological diversity 3. The fair and equitable sharing of...

This column comes to you from sunny Rajasthan, India, where I have taken my family to look for leopards (and crocodiles and monkeys and black buck…). As you can imagine taking the kids somewhere so exotic at half term is costing me an arm and a leg I can ill afford. But I want them to share with me the almost matchless pleasure of seeing big cats (or big anything else: sharks are good too; and bears; and elephants…) in their native habitat. Being amid unspoilt nature, whether it’s walking in the Welsh or Scottish hills or going on safari...

Yesterday I noted how the UN is trained media how to report on biodiversity, among other things. Today I'm going to look at their public relations campaign, called CEPA. There is some incredible stuff in here. CEPA tactics Here is perhaps the most interesting part of what the UN is doing regarding biodiversity. This document explains everything: Article 6 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) calls on Parties to prepare National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) as the primary vehicle for implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity at the national level. Many countries have prepared their NBSAPs but...

I'm going to expose what I consider to be a direct attempt by the United Nations to manipulate the media and the public into acting on the 'biodiversity crisis'. Before I do that, I feel compelled to say at least one good thing about the UN. They are very open with their documentation. All the documents I reference in this article were taken directly from their website here, or from websites which are linked within those documents. They aren't making an attempt to hide the following. You may have heard in the news recently that there is a biodiversity meeting...

ScienceDaily (July 22, 2010) — The tropics owe their stunning biodiversity to consistent year-round temperatures, not higher temperatures or more sunlight, according to a novel survey of insect diversity at different latitudes and at different points in the planet's history. The finding, presented this week in the journal Paleobiology by researchers from Harvard University, Simon Fraser University, and Brandon University, may finally answer a question that has dogged scientists for centuries. It also suggests, intriguingly, that the world is likely far less diverse today than it was tens of millions of years ago, when the entire Earth had consistent year-round...

PRINT Back to story Actor Ed Norton named UN biodiversity ambassador AFP - Friday, July 9 Actor Ed Norton named UN biodiversity ambassador UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - – American actor Edward Norton, who has starred in films including "The Incredible Hulk," "Fight Club," and "Kingdom of Heaven," has a new role -- United Nations goodwill ambassador for biodiversity. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon made the announcement, noting that Norton and his family had long been involved in issues related to sustainable development and conservation. Norton said he hoped he can use his celebrity to boost awareness of the UN's ideals...

Hug a tree. Recycle. But don't forget the biodegradable "green" poop bags to ensure your dog has a small carbon pawprint. Yes, Earth Day has come to this.

A Northern Arizona University political science professor is working with Southern African farmers studying their agricultural expertise and exposing trade agreements that could threaten the world's food supply. For more than 30 years, Carol Thompson has been consulting on international agriculture trade issues, spending months or years at a time living in Southern African countries studying agricultural expertise and working to "expose constraining trade agreements imposed upon African farmers." Her recent book, Biopiracy of Biodiversity - Global Exchange as Enclosure, analyzes current international agricultural trade policies, explains how they originated, and how they are impacting the world and indigenous cultures....