Golden Rice Debate and the Nobel Globe Laureates

Scientists all around the world show support for Golden Rice.

Following the recent Golden Rice campaign, Nobel Globe Laureates initiated a public request to governments around the world to support genetic modifications. They also asked Greenpeace to stop the campaign against genetically modified organisms and to accept the scientific evidence that validates its safety.

The Nobel Globe Laureates Take a Stand

The statement came together with the launch of a website that documents the scientific positive attitude towards Golden Rice and genetically modified organisms. The person behind this project is Sir Richard Roberts, Nobel Prize Laureate for Physiology or Medicine.

Governments were accused that they tolerate fear-based campaigns that oppose genetically modified organisms in what is perceived to be a falsehood and denial attitude towards scientific progress.

Greenpeace and its supporters are urged to re-examine the experience of farmers and consumers that use biotechnologically modified products and to abandon the campaign against Golden Rice.

The Vitamin A Deficiency

The scientists’ arguments include the fact that there are 250 million people suffering from vitamin A deficiency, including children from the developing world. The condition leads to almost two million preventable deaths, as it compromises the immune system.

Vitamin A deficiency is also a leading cause of blindness in children on the global level, and half of the affected infants die in the year following the disease activation.

The Laureates call upon Greenpeace to cease the campaign against Golden Rice and other genetically modified organism. They ask the governments to also reject the movement and to improve farmers’ access to modern biology and biotechnologically modified seeds.

The scientists continue by asking if the number of deaths in poor people justifies the current attitude towards genetically modified organisms.

Golden Rice Scientific Facts

There is a scientific consensus concerning the safety of biotechnological seeds. Scientific Academies all around the world support their use and certify they do not have adverse health effects.

Moreover, 18 million farmers from different countries confirm the environmental and economic advantages of using the modified seeds. Most of the farmers are originating in developing countries.

Genetically modified organisms are described as a component of precision agriculture, and the arguments brought by Greenpeace are patiently corrected in a separate section.

The website cites other former Greenpeace campaigners that discovered the truth behind the propaganda and decided to part paths with the organization.

The Nobel Globe Laureates requests Greenpeace and governments that are reluctant towards genetically modified organism to stop the negative attitude. They ask the officials to give up on the politically induced opinions and to accept the scientific correctness of the facts.

Image Source: Wikipedia

About the Author

About Andreas Petersen

Andreas was too little to remember when he and his parents first set foot in America. He considers himself a true American citizen, but uses every opportunity to promote his Danish origins. He is deeply found of politics, all nations’ politics and generally looks forward to the presidential elections. His BA degree in Political Sciences has helped him get familiar to the constitutional frames of US and non-US nations.

Never Ending Food

The real problem lies in the belief that nature can’t provide diets which are rich in Vitamin A. For nearly two decades my wife and I have been working on diet diversification in Malawi, Africa. Unfortunately, we continue to see the majority of the nation’s agricultural policies focused on the monocropping of maize. The current debate regarding the use of genetically engineered Vitamin A ignores that fact that nations, like Malawi, are already spending millions of dollars on artificial and medicinal fortification and supplementation programs, while continuing to ignore the promotion of nutritional diversification within agriculture. Malawi’s micronutrient deficiencies are not caused by a lack of access to GMOs, but rather by a lack of nutritional diversity arising from an over-reliance on monocropped agriculture. Malawi promotes a 6 food-group model for nutrition, yet its agricultural policies primarily focus on one high-carbohydrate, low-nutrient staple food. I hope that these Nobel Laureates are equally committed to encouraging the cultivation and utilization of diverse and naturally-nutritious agricultural crops, not just genetically engineered band-aids.