With so much of the world focused on the second anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the U.N.-sponsored Cartagena Biosafety Protocol, which becomes international law today, is not grabbing major headlines. Still, as the first global treaty to regulate trade in genetically modified organisms, the protocol is a big deal. By affirming the right of nations to err on the side of caution when regulating biotech imports, the protocol pits the United Nations against the World Trade Organization, where such imports are considered innocent until proven guilty. Lissa Harris looks at the implications of the brand-new protocol on global trade in genetically modified organisms, only on the Grist Magazine website.