To: permagriculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [permagriculture] Plant lists for the tropics + comment on go
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2015 12:37:48 -0600
I think I would be largely in agreement with Alan Kapuler on this...
Don't get me wrong, I am generally against how modern AG has chosen to
implement GE. But the "GMO question" really is several questions which
are intertwined.
1. The methodology used to transfer genes. Anything beyond traditional
plant genetics is unproven and needs testing. Are the techniques
employed precise and repeatable? Have the results been tested for not
only the desired results but other possible changes?
2. The question of what and how will these new "features" interact with
the environment as a whole? Being safe for humans is but a subset of this.
3. What features are being implemented, and what are the associated risks?
Number 3 is probably the biggest red flag for what has currently been
done with GMOs. Ignoring the unanswered questions about the safety of
the methodology and long term consequences of the new features, industry
has mostly used this technology to increase sales of their herbicides
and generate internal insecticides; which has led to increased use and
human exposure to these chemicals, with little or no regard for their
safety and the consequences of increased use in the biosphere of these
toxins.
Great things may have been possible with GE, but the greed for quick
profits and short term gains have soured those potentials, IMO.