The U.N. celebrates a regulatory debacle

During the early 2000s, delegates to the U.N.-sponsored Convention on Biological Diversity negotiated a "biosafety protocol" to regulate the international movement of organisms genetically modified with the newest, most precise techniques, which they dubbed "living modified organisms," or LMOs. The protocol is based on the bogus "precautionary principle," which dictates that every new product or technology - including, in this case, an improvement over less-precise technologies - must be proven completely safe before it can be used. Rather than creating a uniform, predictable, and scientifically sound framework for effectively managing legitimate risks, the U.N.'s biosafety protocol established an amorphous global regulatory process that encourages overly risk-averse, incompetent, or corrupt regulators to hide behind the precautionary principle in delaying or denying approvals. It has become a self-defeating impediment to the development of new and better products. To "celebrate" the 15^th anniversary of the Protocol, the UN Environment Program is seeking articles about various aspects of it, illustrating yet again the poor judgement and audacity of United Nations' programs and officials.