The most dangerous anti-science movement

[BWV 1080]

Not evolution,vaccine or global warming denialism - none of these will potentially deny food to poor people. The most dangerous current anti science movement is anti-GMO hysteria:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/ ... 081915.php

Nina Fedoroff, molecular biologist and former Science and Technology Adviser to Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice, warns of the detrimental influence of politics and misinformation on the safety of GM crops. Instead, Fedoroff says that: "GM crops are arguably the safest new crops ever introduced into the human and animal food chains."

Addressing safety concerns, Fedoroff highlights recent studies that have revealed that plant modification by molecular techniques has less impact on gene expression, protein and metabolite levels than conventional genetic crosses. New methods are also rapidly being developed that promise to further increase the specificity and precision of genetic modification.

"The overwhelming evidence is that the GM foods now on the market are as safe, or safer, than non-GM foods," argues Fedoroff. She also cites a recent overview by the European Union of more than 130 research projects over 25 years concluding that GM methods are not inherently more risky than conventional plant breeding technologies. Fedoroff adds: "Every credible scientific body that has examined the evidence has come to the same conclusion."

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_an ... mob_tw_top

The World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science have all declared that there’s no good evidence GMOs are unsafe. Hundreds of studies back up that conclusion. But many of us don’t trust these assurances. We’re drawn to skeptics who say that there’s more to the story, that some studies have found risks associated with GMOs, and that Monsanto is covering it up.

I’ve spent much of the past year digging into the evidence. Here’s what I’ve learned. First, it’s true that the issue is complicated. But the deeper you dig, the more fraud you find in the case against GMOs. It’s full of errors, fallacies, misconceptions, misrepresentations, and lies. The people who tell you that Monsanto is hiding the truth are themselves hiding evidence that their own allegations about GMOs are false. They’re counting on you to feel overwhelmed by the science and to accept, as a gut presumption, their message of distrust.

[jbuck919]

Steve knows from Facebook exchanges that I agree with him on this (not necessarily ranking it that way in terms of threats, but certainly as bad and potentially dangerous pseudo-science). Many even very educated persons confuse GMO per se with the abuses that corporate agribusiness is capable of. They utter Monsanto and GMO in the same breath as though they were identical. They also confuse "organic" with quality, when in fact we live in a world where it is rare anywhere to find true high-quality farm-fresh produce and must make do with the excellent and well-regulated produce that is available in abundance in any ordinary grocery store, even though it may be a compromise in terms of flavor.

[John F]

I agree that the American anti-GMO "movement" is irrational and misguided, and could have very bad consequences in the Third World. (Probably not in America.) But I don't buy it that this is presently the most dangerous anti-science movement in the world. It's impossible to quantify the relative dangers of anti-GMO campaigning, which has already failed to some extent (see below), and climate change denial, since global warming may have been humanly impossible to stop or reverse by the time the fact was scientifically confirmed.

Due to cross-contamination and pollen drift, very few products in the U.S. are completely free of GMOs.

GMOs are now present in 75 to 80 percent of conventional processed food in the U.S., according to the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

The FDA does not require food with GMOs to be labeled as such, so avoiding them is hard to do.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases ... 10549.html

[rwetmore]

..., and climate change denial, since global warming may have been humanly impossible to stop or reverse by the time the fact was scientifically confirmed.

They claim it already is, and there is 2C of anthropogenic warming in the pipeline even if CO2 emissions are zeroed out worldwide tomorrow.

[karlhenning]

... They utter Monsanto and GMO in the same breath as though they were identical.

And even civilly pointing out this fallacy to them makes you The Great Satan.

Cheers,
~k.

[karlhenning]

Due to cross-contamination and pollen drift, very few products in the U.S. are completely free of GMOs.

GMOs are now present in 75 to 80 percent of conventional processed food in the U.S., according to the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

The FDA does not require food with GMOs to be labeled as such, so avoiding them is hard to do.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases ... 10549.html

There are, in fairness, things I do like about Whole Foods; but it is not at all lost on me that they build their business in part on softly playing the irrational prejudice against GMOs.

Cheers,
~k.

[lennygoran]

Steve knows from Facebook exchanges that I agree with him on this

Same for me with my Compuserve food and garden forums-I've given up talking with them on these issues. Regards, Len

[lennygoran]

There are, in fairness, things I do like about Whole Foods; but it is not at all lost on me that they build their business in part on softly playing the irrational prejudice against GMOs.

Cheers,
~k.[/color]

Karl we love their merchandising-on our 2 last trips into NYC we stopped at 2 of them--one we didn't know was up and running down in Tribeca and the other one was closer to where we hang out alot-the Time Warner Center. Beautiful stores but those prices-eek! Regards, Len

[karlhenning]

There are, in fairness, things I do like about Whole Foods; but it is not at all lost on me that they build their business in part on softly playing the irrational prejudice against GMOs.

Karl we love their merchandising-on our 2 last trips into NYC we stopped at 2 of them--one we didn't know was up and running down in Tribeca and the other one was closer to where we hang out alot-the Time Warner Center. Beautiful stores but those prices-eek! Regards, Len

An old friend out on the Left Coast gives me to understand that the Whole Foods clientele out there are much less live-&-let-live than here in Woburn . . . they use Namaste in a way that suggests it means . . . something I would never say in front of my mother.

Cheers,
~k.

[BWV 1080]