Biopiracy is a problem faced by developing countries whereby national corporations, industries and government organizations make use of their natural resources without recompensing the countries from which the resources are taken from. These developing countries are rich in biodiversity and offer potential for corporations to make money. This is why these countries are a target. These corporations exploit the naturally occurring biological or genetic material, and may place patents that restrict its future use, without paying fair compensation to the community from which it originates. The problem that arises from this is that the communities value their biodiversity. The natural resources are of great importance to the local community. Biodiversity boosts the productivity of the ecosystem. Every single organism plays a role in ecosystem. The variation in species allows for a variety in produce produced. Biodiversity is important for humans and animals. Many plants are used for medicinal purposes. The more diverse an ecosystem, the more easy it is to access these resources. Locals rely on their biodiversity to sustain their livelihood. Most obtain their food and basic needs from the ecosystem around them. For the locals, biodiversity is a symbol of their wealth and status. By restricting their use of the land/biota around them, political issues may arise. International companies can place patents on local ‘inventions’, which are based on traditional resources or knowledge. A patent is a license or restraint placed by the government or international corporations in order to reserve the right or title of an invention for a set period of time, especially the sole right to exclude others from making, using or selling the invention... ... middle of paper ... ...d methods they created. Biopiracy strips communities of their wealth by transferring the rights of the environment into the hands of the patent holder. As a result, the communities must spend what little wealth they have in order to procure the rights to products which are rightfully theirs. Another ethical issue which is evident is the fact that local people are not informed of the actions that companies take. Their indigenous knowledge is taken from without them agreeing. Companies therefore do not wait to receive an informed consent from the indigenous people. The indigenous people are manipulated by companies and corporations for the sake of profit. The main concern associated with the theft of indigenous knowledge (biopiracy) is the lack of compensation paid to locals, but also the manner in which the resulting products are marketed, mainly for profits-sake.
The Board is responsible for enforcing biological patents on Bt Cotton and reassuring through investigations that farmers are not defying their legal jurisdictions. Defiance of laws would result in litigation carried out by the board. Their monopolization in the Indian agricultural market bears power, which can be utilized to unjustly influence the Indian government. Their enforcements of biological patents yields them with great legitimacy. They are entitled to urgency as the effect of their patents on Indian farmers should be called to immediate attention, as it results in catastrophic impacts on human lives. The Board of Directors can be classified as a supportive stakeholder as their enforcement of patents maximizes revenue, which is acting in the best interest of Monsanto as a whole. The Board meets all the requirements of “Mitchell, Agle, and Wood’s Theory of Stakeholder Identification and
Everyone has likely already heard the name Monsanto, the largest seed distributor in the world. Nearly fifty percent of all seeds in the world are owned by only three corporations. These companies account for trillions in fertilizer, pesticide, seed patents and herbicide sales annually. These companies have been building a seed empire within the food industry for over thirty years now and they have plans to patent every seed with biotechnology. Thoreau wrote in his book, “The condition of the operatives is becoming every day more like that of the English; and it cannot be wondered at, since, as far as I have heard or observed, the principal object is, not that mankind may be well and honestly clad, but, unquestionably, that the corporations
I know, I know. What kind of company would even think to use unethical and borderline illegal methods to rise in power and wealth? Unheard of, I say! Yet, The World Trade Organisation’s Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights Agreement in a number of articles (27.2 and onwards) openly expresses the right to terminate or deny the placement of a patent if the invention is to protect human life and health, because their exploitation is prohibited by law. Furthermore, the patent is excluded if it involves the modification of a biological process, or alters the life and processes of plants used as crops. Considering that a seed is not an invention, and Monsanto did not invent a seed: they merely modified and “improved” it for our benefit, their attempts to sue and bankrupt farmers should only be, at most, semi-legitimate. But, they have money and political influence, and what do farmers have? Crippling contracts and a life sentenced to slavery for Monsanto on minimum wage. However, as earlier stated, Monsanto is looking out for our health and well-being. Their product, the soybean, is one of the few legumes that contain all essential amino acids for the healthy function of human beings. Because they are so essential to human health, a claim to patent the crop should
The word biological imperialism describes a system, in which a species largely expands according to the amount of available resources that contribute to their growth, such as water, sunlight, and soil (Chiras, D. D., 2016). Now, biological imperialism naturally occurs so it is unlike unsustainable ethics because the species is not forcing the expansion. In that sense, biological imperialism and sustainable ethics are similar but they also have a few key differences. While a sustainable society intentionally makes a plan that will conserve resources, species who partake in biological imperialism use all the resources they can get that are needed to survive and flourish. The transforming world has had a change in the values and beliefs it contains in the past 100 years. This change is called a paradigm shift. Technically the definition of a paradigm shift is when observations that no longer fit the basic model of reality, the paradigm, and studied by scientists likely causing them to rethink their beliefs and sometimes discard them (Chiras, D. D., 2016). It is known by almost everyone of the United States, if not the world, that cereal and milk go together for breakfast. One day, if someone comes along and discovers that cereal and orange juice taste better together, it would be mind blowing to modern society. People would have to get used to the idea that eating cereal
Monsanto scrutinizes neighboring farms, practicing their right to enforce their patent and contract. What they take into account and chose to ignore is that their genetic product is natural and cannot be controlled completely. Monsanto’s patent allows them to prosecute neighboring farms for any concentration of their patented genetic code in their crops, regardless of whether a farmer knowingly involved themselves in infringement or was the victim of natural pollination. Barlett and Steele cite the increasing number of legal cases and settlements as means of pressuring contracted farmers to follow procedure and of allegedly pressuring uncontracted farmers to sign with Monsanto to avoid
The Convention on Biological Diversity (hereafter: “CBD”) is an international treaty adopted by United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held at Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 and came into force on December 29, 1993. Initially when it came into force there were 168 members now it is 193 in total. The aim to protect biodiversity and the dramatic steps taken for conservation, sustainable use and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits attracted the world communities to become members (History of the Convention, n.d). In principle the convention on biological diversity changed the ownership concept of biodiversity protection i.e. (“common heritage of humankind”) to the “sovereign right” of each member country (Hirsch, 2012). It is the responsibility of the each member to develop and implement policies in a way that helps in the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources. It also recognizes the knowledge of local and indigenous people for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity (Brahmi et al., 2004).The article 8(j) of CBD has an important provision which gives the member state rights to “respect, preserve and maintain” traditional style and knowledge about the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. The protection must promote the wider application of such knowledge and stimulate innovation and also ensure that the benefits are shared in fair and equitable manner to the communities.
Reading up information and searching for clues (which were not extremely easy), turns out to have broadened my knowledge on Nature and Biomimicry itself and that there are so many people already using wind turbines to harvest the winds energy and know how the world can be saved. Therefore I have come to the conclusion and have seen that my hypothesis has been proven right.
The Web. The Web. 16 Dec. 2009. http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2009/12/monsanto_uses_patent_law_to_co.html>. The "Artificial Hormones" Sustainable Table.
Many of the issues of biodiversity loss can be traced back to human interaction to the environment. One of the issues is alteration and loss of habitats. A lot of this issue is based on the destruction of habitats and for the land to be used for human consumption. The land is either used up for agricultural use or for neighborhoods. Destroying habitats and building them for our own use can have a positive impact on our way of living but a negative impact on the environment. We would gain land for building land for crops and communities to be built. The habitat for the animals would be destroyed and the species local to the land would either relocate or die. There are restrictions to deforesting land and there are organizations to help protect the land.
Loss of biodiversity is an environmental issue that is causing a lot of global concern. Some of the main causes for loss in biodiversity are alteration of habitats, increasing levels of pollution and human population growth. There are measures that are being taken worldwide to prevent loss of biodiversity. Many wildlife sanctuaries have been built worldwide to preserve the lives of various endangered species. However, it is important to remember that every individual has a role in the protection of wildlife and biodiversity. Every human being should play his part of the role by following simple rules such as stopping others from the hunting of endangered species, preventing deforestation, encouraging reforestation and creating awareness among fellow human beings.
Many people don't know what biomedical engineers do. A biomedical engineer’s job is actually quite interesting. They analyze and create solutions to improving the quality and effectiveness of patient care. They also design technology to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities. They have a big role in helping people begin new lives. The main job of a biomedical engineer is to help create prosthetic limbs or organs for those who are in need of one.
The initial step in wildlife conservation is understanding why wildlife is vital to the ecosystem in the first place. Earth is one immense ecosystem. According to Inamullah Khan from Environmental News, wildlife plays a important role in the world's ecosystem. Inamullah Khan states that wildlife is key to six parts of the ecosystem: "ecological value, economic value, recreational value, scientific value, social value, and aesthetical value." (Inamullah Kahn) Inamullah Kahn explains that "ecological value is the interaction of wildlife in nature." (Inamullah Kahn) The ecosystem relies on harmony between all species. Without this equity balances would shift leading to discord and eventual collapse of the ecosystem. "Food chains" would become altered leading to the upset of the natural sequence of life. (Inamullah Kahn) Nature is a deligate balance of life and with the loss of one species all others will cease.
They are a type of intellectual property, similar to trademarks and copyrights. A patented invention is stamped with the word patent, and a number assigned to the patent. Some are marked with the location of the patent for example ‘China Patent’ and a number, indicating it was patented China. One item can be covered by more than one patent, as in the case of a laptop. After a patent application is submitted, a candidate is allowed to mark a product patent pending, but that does not convey any legal protection. It is illegal to mark an item as patented if it doesn’t have a patent.
The myriad mysteries of science can be unraveled by the emerging technologies including Biotechnology. Science has always been my interest and forte thus, the choice of Biotechnology as my academic option was the ideal decision. I had prepared for the highly competitive entrance exam AIET to get admission into the integrated Masters Degree in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics at Dr. D.Y. Patil University and secured 87th all over India rank and was proud to gain admission to this venerated university. The academic curriculum has introduced me to amazing subjects like ‘Microbiology’, ‘Molecular Biology’, ‘Biochemistry’, ‘Genetics’ and ‘Industrial Biotechnology’. Although many seminal biological events have been explained in theory during the past century, the technology to harness their potential for benefiting humankind has only been possible during the past few decades. This is testament to the great improvements in biotechnologies and I am glad to be a part of this grand scientific experience.
Shah, Anup. Why Is Biodiversity Important? Who Cares?. Global Issues, 19 Jan. 2014. Web. 19 May 2014.