United States remains outsider to global biodiversity treaty
- The U.S. has not ratified the key treaty for global biodiversity protection since President Bill Clinton signed it in 1993.
- Concerns over sovereignty and intellectual property have stalled ratification efforts, particularly among Republican lawmakers.
- The absence of the U.S. in biodiversity negotiations hampers global efforts to combat ecological decline and biodiversity loss.
In a recent U.N. biodiversity summit in Cali, Colombia, the United States did not ratify the Convention on Biological Diversity, a treaty designed to protect nature that was signed by President Bill Clinton in 1993. Due to concerns over national sovereignty and intellectual property rights, the treaty has faced opposition from Republican lawmakers, preventing its ratification for over 30 years. This absence affects U.S. influence in global negotiations aimed at addressing the ecological emergency and biodiversity loss. While the U.S. government has been taking actions to conserve nature, it still does not fully embrace important frameworks such as the Global Biodiversity Framework that aims to halt biodiversity loss and promote conservation efforts worldwide.