Chapter 2. General Environmental Frameworks Addressing Gmos

Abstract

This chapter focuses on international regulatory efforts in areas affected by genetically modified organisms (GMOs), while recognizing the necessity and importance of domestic regimes currently in place or being developed to address GMOs. In addition to legislative and regulatory efforts, there are a collection of concepts and techniques that could also provide an alternative means of control and oversight of GMOs. Techniques such as deliberate release, which is a form of active risk assessment, and concepts such as the precautionary principle, can flesh out current international legislative efforts by supplying a broader, more interdisciplinary perspective for GMO regulation. Current applications of GMOs in the agricultural field and risks posed by GMOs connected to biological diversity, including cross-border trade and accidental releases, prompted the development of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, adopted in January 2000 under the auspices of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).Keywords: Biosafety Protocol; deliberate release techniques; genetically modified organism (GMOs); international legal frameworks; U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)