Business
Reality different from the principles
As principles, many of these sound good. Certainly the vast majority of the world’s nations believe so for they have signed up to the WTO.
However, in reality, power politics has led that the WTO has received criticism by various groups and third world countries for numerous things, including: * Being very opaque and not allowing enough public participation, while being very welcoming to large corporations. * That while importing nations cannot distinguish how something is made when trading, though it sounds good at first along the lines of equality and non-discrimination, the reality is that some national laws and decisions for safety and protection of people’s health, environment and national economies have been deemed as barriers to free trade. Take the following as a very small set of examples: * Countries cannot say no to genetically engineered food
If you don't want to eat genetically engineered (GE) food…
…then you will want to stop the US from using the WTO as a weapon to force-feed the world GE food.
We have a right to know what we are eating and to say no to GE food. But from field to fork, the food we eat and the seeds we plant in our fields are being targeted by the GE industry. It is attempting a corporate take-over of the entire food chain.
Countries should not be bullied into accepting GE food, GE seeds or GE crops. Governments must feel free to use the strictest possible standards to regulate genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Science has not proved that GMOs are safe to eat or safe for the environment.
The EU has just adopted the world's strictest rules on GMOs. But backed by the GE industry, the US is using the WTO to challenge the EU's current regulations on GMOs. The ultimate goal - to force GE food on the EU and the rest of the world. What happens now will determine whether many countries and consumers will be forced to eat GE food.
* The oceans are being emptied
As principles, many of these sound good. Certainly the vast majority of the world’s nations believe so for they have signed up to the WTO.
However, in reality, power politics has led that the WTO has received criticism by various groups and third world countries for numerous things, including: * Being very opaque and not allowing enough public participation, while being very welcoming to large corporations. * That while importing nations cannot distinguish how something is made when trading, though it sounds good at first along the lines of equality and non-discrimination, the reality is that some national laws and decisions for safety and protection of people’s health, environment and national economies have been deemed as barriers to free trade. Take the following as a very small set of examples: * Countries cannot say no to genetically engineered food
If you don't want to eat genetically engineered (GE) food…
…then you will want to stop the US from using the WTO as a weapon to force-feed the world GE food.
We have a right to know what we are eating and to say no to GE food. But from field to fork, the food we eat and the seeds we plant in our fields are being targeted by the GE industry. It is attempting a corporate take-over of the entire food chain.
Countries should not be bullied into accepting GE food, GE seeds or GE crops. Governments must feel free to use the strictest possible standards to regulate genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Science has not proved that GMOs are safe to eat or safe for the environment.
The EU has just adopted the world's strictest rules on GMOs. But backed by the GE industry, the US is using the WTO to challenge the EU's current regulations on GMOs. The ultimate goal - to force GE food on the EU and the rest of the world. What happens now will determine whether many countries and consumers will be forced to eat GE food.
* The oceans are being emptied