Last year, the WTO said countries have the right to control imports to protect the environment, but also said the United States would face trade penalties if it persisted. Still, the U.S. government called the WTO ruling a victory for the environment. And the most ardent free traders in a sense agreed, saying it gave environmentalists too much power and could lead to domestic environmental laws polluting international trade agreements. Opponents of the WTO worry that other environmental safeguards will be weakened as free trade grows around the globe. For green groups organizing mass street demonstrations during the WTO meeting Nov. 30 through Dec. 3, the turtle has become the new spotted owl - the poster species that helps explain the fight against globalization and puts a face, although an odd one, on the arcane world of trade policy.
Turtles swim primarily in warm, coastal waters around the world.
Some species can grow to be 6 feet long and weigh 1,000 pounds. There was a time when tens of thousands of giant sea turtles could be spotted during a few hours of beach surveillance. Today, they are in danger of becoming extinct. There are only 2,000 Kemp's ridley turtles - the world's most endangered sea turtle. The turtles are in danger partly because they share the ocean with shrimp.