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Thread: Leading Environmental Activist’s Confession: I Was Completely Wrong To Oppose GMOs

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    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    Default Leading Environmental Activist’s Confession: I Was Completely Wrong To Oppose GMOs

    Interesting:

    If you fear genetically modified food, you may have Mark Lynas to thank. By his own reckoning, British environmentalist helped spur the anti-GMO movement in the mid-‘90s, arguing as recently at 2008 that big corporations’ selfish greed would threaten the health of both people and the Earth. Thanks to the efforts of Lynas and people like him, governments around the world—especially in Western Europe, Asia, and Africa—have hobbled GM research, and NGOs like Greenpeace have spurned donations of genetically modified foods.

    But Lynas has changed his mind—and he’s not being quiet about it. On Thursday at the Oxford Farming Conference, Lynas delivered a blunt address: He got GMOs wrong. According to the version of his remarks posted online (as yet, there’s no video or transcript of the actual delivery), he opened with a bang:
    http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_te...was_wrong.html

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    Senior Member prakel's Avatar
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    Well, if the report is 'right' (I would like to see an accurate transcript) I can only salute his courage in publicly presenting his changed views; remembering always that I'm assuming -to some extent- that this isn't some cleverly engineered stunt by someone who feels a need reinvent himself in order to generate a new wave of publicity.

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    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    Enrolling for celebrity big brother would probably be an easier option in terms of reinventing yourself!

    The problem with GM food at the moment is who's in charge and can they be trusted, ie companies like Monsanto who appear to have a virtual monopoly in certain areas at this point?
    The frankenfood argument is only used by the seriously ill informed these days.
    The technology itself is really clever and could be the answer to a lot of food supply and pesticide issues if managed responsibly.

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    Senior Member prakel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jon View Post
    Enrolling for celebrity big brother would probably be an easier option in terms of reinventing yourself
    Maybe this is his opening gambit aimed at getting the invite!

    Cynical I suppose, but alarm bells ring for me when I read:

    "....and he's not being quiet about it....
    delivered a blunt address....
    opened with a bang..."
    Not the typical backfoot behaviour of someone who's now convinced that he's been publicly talking bull for the greater part of his adult life.

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    Senior Member prakel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jon View Post
    The problem with GM food at the moment is who's in charge and can they be trusted, ie companies like Monsanto who appear to have a virtual monopoly in certain areas at this point?
    While I understand this concern I think that it's widely misused by certain people. If there's value in the technology -which I believe there is- then it needs to be implemented by someone, which is always going to be the problem; the 'anti' groups will always challenge the organizations (irrespective of whether they're commercial or governmental) which are pushing the boundaries and investing in further developing the technology because that's the easiest rallying call they have "These greedy people are really bad and want to control YOU".

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    Administrator gavin's Avatar
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    Well, I'm with 'Matt', a commentator in the discussion on Mark Lynas' own site where he gives a transcript of the talk:

    Let’s hope the world gets a little more rational in 2013.

    The transcript is here:

    http://www.marklynas.org/2013/01/lec...013/#more-1058

    and the video of the talk is below. A fascinating account of a journey from blind campaigning to pragmatic rationality and I commend it to everyone.


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    That link doesn't work for me.
    There is a transcript here

    http://www.ofc.org.uk/files/ofc/pape...conference.pdf

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    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    Farmers weekly has covered this as well.

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    Administrator gavin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jon View Post
    Farmers weekly has covered this as well.
    It seems that he's not planning to take things lying down ....

    'Mr Lynas replied: "Comparing me with rapists is disgusting and offensive. You are a reactionary fraud and an enemy of the poor."
    Mr Lynas said he refused to be intimidated by the emails he had received. Supportive messages far outnumbered those criticising his conversion to GM crops, he added.

    But he warned that he was prepared to publish some of the hate mail online - including the names and computer addresses of those who sent it.

    "I don't want to play the victim here - I couldn't care less about the nutters really."

    He added: "To everyone sending me hate mail: I may post your messages, emails and IPs in the public domain. Just so you know."

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    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    Fair play to him.
    There's no shortage of internet warriors who hide behind anonymous usernames and dish out dogs abuse.
    At one level that 'shill' stuff is hilarious but on another level it is seriously offensive.
    It seems to be a staple of the self styled eco warriors to infer that anyone who disagrees with their groupthink must be in the pay of 'Big Ag'
    I don't know anything about Mark Lynas but he hit the nail on the head when he said he changed his mind when he started reading - and reached a point where he actually understood the science.
    As Richard Dawkins says, reason is the biggest enemy of the fundamentalist.
    One thing which bugs me is how a bunch of reactionary science deniers are allowed to act as if they were the rightful owners of the environmental movement.
    It's my movement as well and I am interested in getting to the truth around issues like GMOs based on the best available evidence.
    Same goes for 'natural' beekeeping. No one person has the exclusive right to define what natural is but some act as if they were appointed from above to dish out the way and the truth with regard to looking after bees.
    Natural beekeeping belongs to all of us beekeepers.
    Last edited by Jon; 11-01-2013 at 08:11 PM.

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