New Leadership Needed: The Convention on Biological Diversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity endorses an international effort to protect and sustain Earth's biological resources. The 20th century marks the most massive global extinction in Earth's history, one that is inextricably connected to the human fingerprint. The Convention on Biological Diversity addresses this global issue, by incentivizing the protection of genetic resources and an endorsing equitable sharing of biological information. The Convention on Biological Diversity, while well intentioned, has not made large strides in reversing global biodiversity loss.

This Comment reflects on how the Convention on Biological Diversity has failed to stabilize the decline of biological diversity and urges the United States, a global powerhouse, to finally ratify the Convention. This Comment argues that the Convention on Biological Diversity should amend itself and approach the problem in new ways'by adding a new enforcement mechanism and by creating two new protocols that target specific global pressures on biodiversity.