[Sust-mar] Empty rhetoric, empty oceans: Will Rio +20 change the tide?

[Christopher Majka]

Greetings,

Those who may be interested in marine conservation issues, and who are  
curious about developments at the Rio +20 conference, may be  
interested in my recent article:

	Empty rhetoric, empty oceans: Will Rio +20 change the tide?
	http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/christophermajka/2012/06/empty-rhetoric-empty-oceans-will-rio-20-change-tide

The oceans are one of ten priority areas at the 2012 United Nations  
Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in Rio de Janeiro,  
Brazil (a.k.a., Rio +20). There is some potentially hopeful language  
in the draft treaty for the conference which would create what is  
called an "implementing agreement" to move various issues of the  
conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity within  
the context of the Law of the Sea.

However, even though 211 countries support this initiative Canada is  
one of only five countries in the world who oppose the measure (and  
only Canada and the United States are vociferous in their opposition).  
Rather than playing a leading role in advancing an environmental  
agenda -- which Canada did in 1992 when it was a key player at the  
original Earth Summit in Rio -- Canada's role under the Harper  
Government has become that of a leading obstructionist to  
environmental progress.

Best wishes,

Chris

Christopher Majka
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
c.majka at ns.sympatico.ca

The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you  
believe in it - Neil deGrasse Tyson