(DOWNLOAD) "Breeding Sanity Into the GM Food Debate: The Issues of Concern to Critics are Far More Complex Than Advocates Car to Admit; It's Time for a More Far-Ranging Discussion." by Issues in Science and Technology " eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Breeding Sanity Into the GM Food Debate: The Issues of Concern to Critics are Far More Complex Than Advocates Car to Admit; It's Time for a More Far-Ranging Discussion.
- Author : Issues in Science and Technology
- Release Date : January 01, 2004
- Genre: Engineering,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 219 KB
Description
The debate over biotechnology seems to get ever more intractable, its costs higher, the disputants angrier. Europe is on the verge of requiring the tracking of all genetically modified (GM) food from farm to grocery store, despite strenuous opposition from the United States. Zimbabwe has rejected emergency food relief that contained unmilled GM corn. Germplasm used in agricultural R & D used to move freely among countries, but the flow has slowed to a trickle as developing countries rich in biodiversity restrict exports of wild plants, hoping to share in the profits from their hidden genes. With so much at stake, one would expect every issue in this arena to be exhaustively examined, argued, rebutted, and negotiated. But what is striking is how little actual debate there really is. There is conflict, but no engagement. Why? What keeps the debate a take-no-prisoners war rather than a spirited rational discussion? Answering this question requires understanding what both sides think the most important issues are. This task is made more difficult because the views of biotech critics have not been widely disseminated in the popular press, whereas the views of advocates are well known. Describing the critics' perspective and contrasting it with that of biotech advocates may shed light on the deadlock and on the reasons behind the rancor.