Wednesday, 20 February 2013

HARDtalk Mark Lynas Part 1

Mark Lynas - Environmental campaigner and author In a January 2013 lecture to the Oxford Farming Conference, Lynas detailed his conversion from an organizer of the the anti-GMO food movement in Europe to becoming a supporter of the technology. He admitted "... in 2008, I was still penning screeds in the Guardian attacking the science of GM -- even though I had done no academic research on the topic, and had a pretty limited personal understanding. I don't think I'd ever read a peer-reviewed paper on biotechnology or plant science..." He apologized for engaging in vandalism of field trials of genetically engineered crops and rationalized his conversion stating, "anti-science environmentalism became increasingly inconsistent with my pro-science environmentalism with regard to climate change." Lynas criticized organizations with which he was previously associated including Greenpeace and organic trade groups like the UK Soil Association for ignoring scientific facts about genetically modified crop safety and benefits because it conflicted with their ideologies and stated he "was completely wrong to oppose GMOs." In October 2011 leaked documents from Europe's largest biotech industry group, EuropaBio, claimed to have potential interest in Mark Lynas as well as several other individuals for becoming ambassador's for GMOs in Europe. In response to news of these leaked documents Mark Lynas said, "I have never had any contact of any sort with EuropaBio, nor any 'Christopher ...

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