General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I'm just going to leave this here quietly, then run like hell.... [View all]appal_jack
(3,813 posts)Only the willfully ignorant pretend that there is some inviolable wall between science, economics, and the social lives of people. Scientists (and all people) have biases, money talks, and we humans have to live among the results.
If the environmental science program you lead pretends that science exists in one sphere, and economics and social pressures exist in entirely separate fields, it is a poor program, doing a disservice to its students.
And, ON-Edit: any comprehensive examination of the science of GMO's would show that just a few of their negative primary impacts have been to make the pollen and root exudates of Bt-engineered plants toxic to non-target lepidopterans, thus reducing the efficacy of Bt as an organic pest control while harming beneficials including some important pollinators. Additionally, the engineering of various herbicide-resistance into crop plants has caused chemical usage to skyrocket, increasing water pollution and damaging soil life.
2nd Edit: I have been active in or at least cognizant of the anti-GMO movement for at least as long as this guy, and I've never heard of him before now. Who is he and why should I care about his sudden epiphany? Without touching a search engine or other reference, I can name the people who have really started and sustained this movement: Mae Wan Ho (Institute of Science in Society), Peter Montague (Rachel's Health & Environment Weekly), Vandana Shiva (too much to name), D. Samuel Epstein (same), Dr. Alfred Putszai (can't be sure of the spelling - I really am doing this without a reference).
These people have only deepened their resistance to GMO's as their knowledge of and experience with GMO's has grown.
-app