1AC
Inherency
The US has yet to ratify the International Treaty on Plant and Genetic Resources for
Food and Agriculture. Ratification would provide leadership for developing nations
and incentivize other countries to sign.
Ho, Congressional Research Service, March 1, 2010
Melissa D. Ho, (Analyst in Agricultural Policy for the Congressional Research Service), “International
Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture”, March 1, 2010, pg. 15, Congressional
Research Service, Accessed September 23, 2015, TL
Currently 120 countries are parties to the treaty (see Appendix).
The United States
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regarding more comprehensive inclusion of Annex 1 crops covered by the MLS.29
Plan
The United States Federal Government should substantially regulate bioprospecting
by ratifying the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture. I reserve the right to fiat and the right to clarify.
Solvency
The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is key to
Marine Genetic Resources outside of national jurisdiction.
Tvedt and Jorem, The Journal of World Intellectual Property, 2013
Morten Walløe Tvedt, Ane E. Jørem, (Tvedt: Senior research fellow Fridtjof Nansen Institute), (Jorem:
research fellow, Fridtjof Nansen Institute), “Bioprospecting in the High Seas: Regulatory Options for
Benefit Sharing”, 2013, The Journal of World Intellectual Property Vol. 16, no. 3–4, pp. 150–167, EBSCO
Host, Accessed September 23, 2015 2015, TL
As common ground,
delegations value the conservation of MGR and the importance of scientific
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),
it has so far not lead to concrete proposals in subsequent meetings.
Advantage 1: Biodiversity
The Oceans account for the majority of the world’s biomass- this is key to scientific
discoveries.
Schoenberg, Cornell International Law Journal, 2009
Schoenberg, Pamela L. (2009) "A Polarizing Dilemma: Assessing Potential Regulatory Gap-Filling
Measures for Arctic and Antarctic Marine Genetic Resource Access and Benefit Sharing," Cornell
International Law Journal: Vol. 42: Iss. 2, Article 6, Accessed September 23, 2015, TL
Although rainforests are biodiversity hotspots, the
world's oceans make the rainforests seem barren by
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genetic bases for these adaptations are what scientists studying MGRs hope to uncover.
There are two internal linksFirst, Polar MGRs are key to bioremediation- solves oil spills and environmental
pollutants.
Schoenberg, Cornell International Law Journal, 2009
Schoenberg, Pamela L. (2009) "A Polarizing Dilemma: Assessing Potential Regulatory Gap-Filling
Measures for Arctic and Antarctic Marine Genetic Resource Access and Benefit Sharing," Cornell
International Law Journal: Vol. 42: Iss. 2, Article 6, Accessed September 23, 2015, TL
Arctic and Antarctic MGRs also show promise for bioremediation tasks such as cleaning up oil
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hydrocarbon fuel pollution surrounding Arctic mining sites and scientific and military bases.70
Second, profit sharing from bioprospecting provides incentives for the indigenous to
protect and conserve biodiversity
Johnathan Warner, Indiana University School of Law, Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, 06
[Jonathan B., Indiana University School of Law—Bloomington, “Using Global Themes to Reframe the
Bioprospecting Debate”, Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies 13.2,
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/indiana_journal_of_global_legal_studies/v013/13.2warner.html]
In addition to the problem of neocolonialism, it is generally agreed that the threat
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active preservation to ensure minimal and controlled intrusion on their adjacent ecological systems.
The impact is staggering--Biodiversity loss causes ecosystem collapse and human
extinction
David Diner, Judge advocate for US Army, Military Review, 1994 (David N, Judge Advocate General's
Corps, United States Army, THE ARMY AND THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT: WHO'S ENDANGERING WHOM?, 143 Mil. L. Rev. 161, Winter, Lexis)
No species has ever dominated its fellow species as man has. In most cases, people have assumed the
God-like power of life and death -- extinction or survival -- over the plants and animals of the world. For
most of history, mankind pursued this domination with a single-minded determination to master the world, tame the wilderness, and exploit
nature for the maximum benefit of the human race. 67 In past mass extinction episodes, as many as ninety percent of the existing species
perished, and yet the world moved forward, and new species replaced the old. So why should the world be concerned now?The prime reason is
the world's survival. Like all animal life, humans
live off of other species. At some point, the number of species
could decline to the point at which the ecosystem fails, and then humans also would become extinct. No
one knows how many [*171] species the world needs to support human life, and to find out -- by
allowing certain species to become extinct -- would not be sound policy. In addition to food, species offer many
direct and indirect benefits to mankind. 682. Ecological Value. -- Ecological value is the value that species have in maintaining the environment.
Pest, 69 erosion, and flood control are prime benefits certain species provide to man. Plants and animals also provide additional ecological
services -- pollution control, 70 oxygen production, sewage treatment, and biodegradation. 713. Scientific and Utilitarian Value. -- Scientific value
is the use of species for research into the physical processes of the world. 72 Without plants and animals, a large portion of basic scientific
research would be impossible. Utilitarian value is the direct utility humans draw from plants and animals. 73 Only a fraction of
the [*172] earth's species have been examined, and mankind may someday desperately need the species that it is exterminating today.To
accept that the snail darter, harelip sucker, or Dismal Swamp southeastern shrew 74 could save mankind may be difficult for some. Many, if not
most, species are useless to man in a direct utilitarian sense. Nonetheless, they may be critical in an indirect role, because their extirpations
In a closely interconnected ecosystem, the loss of a species affects
other species dependent on it. 75 Moreover, as the number of species decline, the effect of each new
extinction on the remaining species increases dramatically. 764. Biological Diversity. -- The main premise
of species preservation is that diversity is better than simplicity. 77 As the current mass extinction has
progressed, the world's biological diversity generally has decreased. This trend occurs within ecosystems
by reducing the number of species, and within species by reducing the number of individuals. Both
trends carry serious future implications. 78[*173] Biologically diverse ecosystems are characterized by a
large number of specialist species, filling narrow ecological niches. These ecosystems inherently are
more stable than less diverse systems. "The more complex the ecosystem, the more successfully it can
resist a stress. . . . [l]ike a net, in which each knot is connected to others by several strands, such a fabric can resist collapse better than a
could affect a directly useful species negatively.
simple, unbranched circle of threads -- which if cut anywhere breaks down as a whole." 79By causing widespread extinctions, humans have
artificially simplified many ecosystems. As biologic simplicity increases, so does the risk of ecosystem failure. The
spreading Sahara Desert in Africa, and the dustbowl conditions of the 1930s in the United States are relatively mild examples of what might be
expected if this trend continues. Theoretically, each new animal or plant extinction, with all its dimly perceived and intertwined affects, could
Each new extinction increases the risk of disaster. Like a
mechanic removing, one by one, the rivets from an aircraft's wings, 80 mankind may be edging closer to
the abyss.
cause total ecosystem collapse and human extinction.
Advantage 2: Disease
Polar MGRs are key to treat a laundry list of diseases- cancer, HIV, malaria, and
tuberculosis.
Schoenberg, Cornell International Law Journal, 2009
Schoenberg, Pamela L. (2009) "A Polarizing Dilemma: Assessing Potential Regulatory Gap-Filling
Measures for Arctic and Antarctic Marine Genetic Resource Access and Benefit Sharing," Cornell
International Law Journal: Vol. 42: Iss. 2, Article 6, Accessed September 23, 2015, TL
An example of the high commercial profitability of "extremophilic" enzymes in the health
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, energy metabolism, gene expression, [and] drug resistance."58
Mutating viruses are coming- We should maximize knowledge from medicinal
biodiversity to lower the risks
McNeely ‘6
Jeffrey A McNeely Chief Scientist IUCN. Gland. Switzerland – from the chapter “Risks to People of Losing Medicinal Species” –
from the book – Conserving medicinal species : securing a healthy future p. 22-24
Human diseases, and the species to treat them, are influenced profoundly by the
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biodiversity would seem a sound risk-adverse strategy in maintaining future options.
Marine-based drug discovery is critical to innovations that effectively solve global
disease pandemics
National Research Council, 2009 (Ocean Exploration: Highlights of National Academies Reports, National Academies
Ocean Science Series, http://oceanleadership.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Ocean_Exploration.pdf)
The ocean benefits human health and well-being in immeasurable ways. The nutritional
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example, the big purple slug offers researchers clues about learning and memory.
Disease outbreak causes extinction- mutations and globalization
Keating ‘9
(Joshua, Web Editor – Foreign Policy Magazine, “The End of the World”, Foreign Policy, 11-13,
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/11/13/the_end_of_the_world?page=full)
How it could happen: Throughout history, plagues
have brought civilizations to their knees
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. Biological weapons experimentation has added a new and just as troubling complication.