There are two extraordinary facts about the COP15 convention on biological diversity, whose members have been meeting in Montreal to discuss the global ecological crisis. The first is that, of the world’s 198 states, 196 are party to it. The second is the identity of those that aren’t. One is the Holy See (the Vatican). The other is the US.
This is one of several significant international treaties the US has refused to ratify. Among the others are crucial instruments such as the Rome statute on international crimes, the treaties banning cluster bombs and
