[Draft] Reptile Protection Act

[States of Glory WA Office]

I believe this resolution is not for the purpose of protecting endangered species, but instead creating safe-havens for reptiles so that they can continue to control the world without fear of being endangered.
(Image)

Ra'lingth: "I find thisss highly offensssive! We mussst ssssettle thissss the traditional En'gari way - I challenge you to a duel of witsss and ssstrength!"

Teran Saber: "Pretty sure the world assembly won't appreciate violence, Ra. Voicing your concern is enough."

Ra'lingth: "But sssir! He falsssely accusssed my people of attempting to sssubvert the governmentsss of an entire planet! Thisss is an insssult to the honor of the entire En'gari raccce!"

Teran Saber: "This is exactly why these people are not ready to join the Confederacy."

Fairburn: Why not denounce them? That's sure to make them stop.

[Christian Democrats]

I've voted that the proposal, as it currently stands, is illegal due to a category violation.

https://www.nationstates.net/page=UN_view_proposal/id=eublepharis_1490712475

Here's what I typed:

Category Rule -- the Industry Affected is too broad. "All Businesses" includes Automotive, Mining, Logging, Manufacturing, Agriculture, and Fishing. A strong case could be made for Logging or Agriculture but not the other subcategory options.

In other words, I don't see how the automotive industry, the mining industry, the manufacturing industry, or the fishing industry directly affects reptiles. On the other hand, much harm to reptiles comes from destroying their habitats, often clearing land for more farming.

[Araraukar]

OOC:

Enact Reptile Protection Act

Category: Environmental
Industry Affected: All Businesses

A vote to create a new program to protect the welfare of reptilian creatures.

RECOGNIZING that reptiles are in more danger than large mammals, and that they are disappearing at an alarming rate, due to human influence.

HIGHLIGHTING the fact that many nations have little to no regard for the environment, as shown in the nation's descriptions.

UNDERSTANDING that reptiles form an essential part of food chains where reptiles are present.

The resolution:

ENACTS a program to conserve and protect reptiles (classified as turtles, tortoises, snakes, lizards, and crocodilians). All nations under this program (unless they do not have many reptiles or their native reptiles are not in danger):

MUST cut back on actions, industries, and programs that directly harm reptiles or pollute their native environments.

MUST inform citizens on the conservation of reptiles.

ENCOURAGE citizens to protect reptiles responsibly and ethically.

HEREBY the Reptile Protection Act is enacted.

Why was this submitted when it was clearly not ready to be? Also "all nations under this program" very much sounds like including non-WA nations.

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I don't see how the automotive industry¹, the mining industry², the manufacturing industry³, or the fishing industry⁴ directly affects reptiles. On the other hand, much harm to reptiles comes from destroying their habitats, often clearing land for more farming.

¹They get run over, roads get built through their natural habitats, plus pollution from cars doesn't stay where the cars are.

²Spoiling of groundwater, destruction of habitats, the add-on side-effects, which usually involve building roads (see above) or rails from mines to factories.

³Crocodiles at least are directly used by manufacturing industry as a source of exotic leather. Also, pollution from manufacturing (plus from whatever supplies them with power as I doubt they're all greenly powered) doesn't stay at the factories.

⁴Disruption of ecosystems, competing for food species, killing reptiles (mostly crocodiles) that are viewed as competition for the sapient fishers, and also probably with reptiles as bycatch.

[Christian Democrats]

OOC:

Enact Reptile Protection Act

Category: Environmental
Industry Affected: All Businesses

A vote to create a new program to protect the welfare of reptilian creatures.

RECOGNIZING that reptiles are in more danger than large mammals, and that they are disappearing at an alarming rate, due to human influence.

HIGHLIGHTING the fact that many nations have little to no regard for the environment, as shown in the nation's descriptions.

UNDERSTANDING that reptiles form an essential part of food chains where reptiles are present.

The resolution:

ENACTS a program to conserve and protect reptiles (classified as turtles, tortoises, snakes, lizards, and crocodilians). All nations under this program (unless they do not have many reptiles or their native reptiles are not in danger):

MUST cut back on actions, industries, and programs that directly harm reptiles or pollute their native environments.

MUST inform citizens on the conservation of reptiles.

ENCOURAGE citizens to protect reptiles responsibly and ethically.

HEREBY the Reptile Protection Act is enacted.

Why was this submitted when it was clearly not ready to be? Also "all nations under this program" very much sounds like including non-WA nations.

---

I don't see how the automotive industry¹, the mining industry², the manufacturing industry³, or the fishing industry⁴ directly affects reptiles. On the other hand, much harm to reptiles comes from destroying their habitats, often clearing land for more farming.

¹They get run over, roads get built through their natural habitats, plus pollution from cars doesn't stay where the cars are.

²Spoiling of groundwater, destruction of habitats, the add-on side-effects, which usually involve building roads (see above) or rails from mines to factories.

³Crocodiles at least are directly used by manufacturing industry as a source of exotic leather. Also, pollution from manufacturing (plus from whatever supplies them with power as I doubt they're all greenly powered) doesn't stay at the factories.

⁴Disruption of ecosystems, competing for food species, killing reptiles (mostly crocodiles) that are viewed as competition for the sapient fishers, and also probably with reptiles as bycatch.

I don't see how these effects are direct effects. According to the Trade of Endangered Organisms ruling of February 3, 2017, "NationStates specifically is set up to differentiate areas of the law based pragmatically on what parts of society they affect." The proper categorization of a proposal is based on its "most noticeable consequence" and on the area in which it "acts primarily." In my view, a proposal "to conserve and protect [all] reptiles" acts primarily on the Agriculture industry and not on All Businesses. The effects that you list are indirect or minor.

[Araraukar]

In my view, a proposal "to conserve and protect [all] reptiles" acts primarily on the Agriculture industry and not on All Businesses. The effects that you list are indirect or minor.

OOC: How would Agriculture affect them any more than the others? And you know very well that the "all businesses" can be used for essentially "Environmental: Mild", while we wait for actual strengths for the category.

[Christian Democrats]

In my view, a proposal "to conserve and protect [all] reptiles" acts primarily on the Agriculture industry and not on All Businesses. The effects that you list are indirect or minor.

OOC: How would Agriculture affect them any more than the others? And you know very well that the "all businesses" can be used for essentially "Environmental: Mild", while we wait for actual strengths for the category.

The main cause of reptile extinction is habitat loss, and the main cause of habitat loss is farming. Therefore, the appropriate category is Agriculture (for which reptile habitats are destroyed) or Logging (the destruction itself).

From the standpoint of the stats, a proposal such as this one would have its greatest impact on nations with primary sector economies. All Businesses hits all nations similarly. Agriculture or Logging is more narrowly tailored, mostly hitting the sorts of nations where most reptile species are most likely to live. To quote Sedgistan:

I'd suggest that Category violations are something that the Secretariat should definitely be stricter with. Most WA nations don't really care about metagaming, contradiction or branding violations - it's just words, and it doesn't affect them. Nation stats are what most of the (relatively) silent majority care about, and giving 26,000 nations the wrong stats for a resolution is a big thing.

Presumably, the Reptile Protection Act would not have much of an effect on highly urbanized and industrialized nations, which import most of their food and raw goods from the kinds of nations that actually might have reptile habitats that still exist.

[Gim]

RECOGNIZING that reptiles are in more danger than large mammals, and that they are disappearing at an alarming rate, due to human influence.

Amphibian and other egg-laying species can be endangered.

Are you saying that reptiles are the most endangered of all of those species or just large mammals?

[The Greater Siriusian Domain]

Ra'lingth: "I find thisss highly offensssive! We mussst ssssettle thissss the traditional En'gari way - I challenge you to a duel of witsss and ssstrength!"

Teran Saber: "Pretty sure the world assembly won't appreciate violence, Ra. Voicing your concern is enough."

Ra'lingth: "But sssir! He falsssely accusssed my people of attempting to sssubvert the governmentsss of an entire planet! Thisss is an insssult to the honor of the entire En'gari raccce!"

Teran Saber: "This is exactly why these people are not ready to join the Confederacy."

Fairburn: Why not denounce them? That's sure to make them stop.

Teran Saber: "An insult to honor is not something to denounce an entire nation over. It is simply a diplomatic faux pas."

[Estonland]

-support
Most of our agriculture is based on farm animals,and who hurt farm animals?Lizards.
This resolution would hurt our already dwindling agricultural sector.

[The Greater Siriusian Domain]

-support
Most of our agriculture is based on farm animals,and who hurt farm animals?Lizards.
This resolution would hurt our already dwindling agricultural sector.

Teran Saber: "Explain how lizards are hurting your farm animals. I fail to see how, unless you have freakin' dinosaurs or dragons roaming around for some reason."

[Araraukar]

From the standpoint of the stats, a proposal such as this one would have its greatest impact on nations with primary sector economies. All Businesses hits all nations similarly. Agriculture or Logging is more narrowly tailored, mostly hitting the sorts of nations where most reptile species are most likely to live.

OOC: Please explain your own ruling on the legality of this thing?

GenSec Status: ILLEGAL — HELD
Legal (1): Sierra Lyricalia

Illegal (2): Christian Democrats, Separatist Peoples

Separatist Peoples: Illegal — Category violation - Better suited to Environmental - All Business
Christian Democrats: Illegal — Category Rule
Sierra Lyricalia: Legal

And at least SP agrees that All Businesses (which has milder effect on each of the stats under Environmental than any of the other AoEs has on its specific stat) is a better fit.

EDITs because typofingers.

[Christian Democrats]

From the standpoint of the stats, a proposal such as this one would have its greatest impact on nations with primary sector economies. All Businesses hits all nations similarly. Agriculture or Logging is more narrowly tailored, mostly hitting the sorts of nations where most reptile species are most likely to live.

OOC: Please explain your own ruling on the legality of this thing?

GenSec Status: ILLEGAL — HELD
Legal (1): Sierra Lyricalia

Illegal (2): Christian Democrats, Separatist Peoples

Separatist Peoples: Illegal — Category violation - Better suited to Environmental - All Business
Christian Democrats: Illegal — Category Rule
Sierra Lyricalia: Legal

Manufacturing was definitely not the right subcategory.