GM Planet

[Luke]

:ph34r: It is my personal belif that GM scientists can save the planet!

It is great that in the US there seems to be a open approach to Genetic Engeneering.

I do not belive in the "Terminator" seed approach though, which is only there to make big business, "big bucks". But I do admire the General Publics open acceptence of GM crops. The US has the know how to save the planets starving millions by supplying GM faster growing crops, crops that can grow in arid conditions and crops "designed" for indiginous farming.

Maybee instead of giving food aid (which only helps in the short term) the US could give countries with famine "GM aid". This would be far more benificial in the long run, as it would allow the country concerned to help it's self by farming new GM seeds not of the "Terminator" type. For instance a fast growing, arid adapting GM rice could save millions of starving people.

GM science should be there to help those people in most need and to replace lost speicies. Genetic Engineering has the power to make us "Gods". And as "Gods" we have the resposability to aid nature in every possible way. For the first time ever in human history we now have the power to repair a very damaged, fragile Earth. We have always been taking away from "Mother Nature" and now we have the chance to give back.

How about setting up a project called something like "GM Jungle" where scientists are challenged to produce a "GM Jungle" that grows several times faster than a natural Jungle. The implications here for the pharmicuticul industry are enormous. As well as harvesting for drugs, we have the added bonous of producing vast amounts of the much in demand gas "Oxygen".

Any thoughts out there on this subject will be greatfully recieved...! ;)

[Josh]

I agree with everything you've said Luke. The only problem comes when, in 20 years, all the kids in those areas start being born with two heads, no eyes and seventeen toes. With any sort of luck GM crops will turn out to be harmless and the planet savers you and a lot of other people hope them to be. But you have to wait and see. No point in curing one problem by creating a much bigger one long term. Quick fixes (as we've seen with the Space Shuttle program) generally don't do us any favours.

[Weaselbunny]

I agree with you josh.

People are always racing into things all gung-ho with no regard for the long-term consequences, and while it does no-one any good to sit on your posterior procrastinating, any action has to be well reasoned and implications explored. Otherwise seventeen-toed babies may threaten for world domination and then... God help us all!

[DippyHippy]

I agree... I'm not against GM crops per se, I just think it's far too early to say whether there are any real effects or not. How many times have we been told a drug is perfectly okay to use and then found that it can cause cancer??

[Luke]

:huh: The thing is the longer we wait the less of a planet we have left to save!

In 25 years time the Uranutang will be extinct and over the next 50 years we stand to loose over 1 million different speicies of natural nature.

We need to act now with any or all methods we can find to preseve what little we have left.

I find most polititions to dithery in fact when it comes to decissions of global importance, what they usually do is end up going to war.

Which is not very intellectual and is of no "great" importence. All the mean while "Mother Earth" carries on taking a good beating, like she allways has.

It's sad! Very sad. :(

[DippyHippy]

GM foods aren't going to save the Orang-utan - conservation and an effort by every nation on the Earth to preserve our ecology are what's needed. Likewise, we need to cut down on the greenhouse gases and do all we can to protect our environment. GM foods may feed the hungry, but if anything, there's some evidence to suggest they actually *harm* the ground they're planted in.

I know you suggested a kind of "GM jungle" in your original post and I guess (in theory) that's a good idea to quickly replenish the lost rain forests, but I think prevention is better than cure.