Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2000 12:47:01 -0400
From: "Michael S. Lorrey" <retroman@turbont.net>
Subject: Re: SOC/BIO: Rifkin's "worldwide moratorium" on genetically
modified organisms
>Actually, there is no evidence that butterflies are harmed by pesticides
>produced by plants in the field, and evidence to the contrary has been
pretty
>overwhelming that the 'sky is falling' whines of the anti-GM greenies is
>unfounded in any way.
The case I read was about GM crops, not pesticides ...
As for 'spores' being 'freed' into the environment, plants do not reproduce
by
'spores', so any greenies telling you that are obviously ignorant. Since
agronomists are aware of the risks, they typically plant a band of crops
around
test fields that cannot cross pollinate with the test plants. THe pollen
only
drifts so far before settling to the ground, where it rots.
OK, spores, pollen whatever ... I'm not a biologist .... but tell me how you
can stop cross-pollination (by wind or insects) by planting a band of crops
around a test field? What self-respecting bee or wasp will be put off by
this?
>
> Just because a technology is new, like GM, does not automatically mean it
is
> good. Proper long term testing does not seem to have occurred with GM in
the
> same way as a new drug testing, although the technology impacts on more
> people.
>Just because technology is new does not mean you have to fear it like the H
>Bomb.
>Proper testing has progressed as far as it can in the laboratories. They
must be
>tested in the field, but all attempts at this testing are being sabotaged
by the
>anti-GM greenies, which proves that they are not, in fact, interested in
'proper
>testing'.
If they still have to be tested in the field .... how come so much GM soya
is already on the supermarket shelves? What point are you making here?
>That is merely a straw man for them to present themselves as
>'moderate' while they vilify their opponents.
I think that until science can ensure that neighbouring crops won't become
pollinated by GM test crops, the environmentalists have a point.
Surely we should err on the side of caution ...... we just don't know how
large-scale GM cultivation will impact on the environment. The dangers of
H-bombs &c. is all too apparent, but some new technologies might have more
subtle dangers. We are not living in sci-fi fantasy .... if things go wrong
in the world they effect real lives.
www.Steve-Nichols.com
Posthuman Movement
****************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Oct 02 2000 - 17:35:28 MDT