Alerta urgente. No a Terminator en Brasil - Petición de firmas
Enviado por Veronica Villa el
Tenemos que impedir que aprueben las semillas suicidas
En la misma semana que se conmemora el Día Mundial de la Alimentación, cuyo tema central es “Sistemas alimentarios sustentables para la seguridad alimentaria y nutricional”, nos sorprende un hecho muy grave que afecta directamente la soberanía alimentaria y los derechos de los campesinos en Brasil y como efecto dominó, en el resto del mundo.
Brasil prepara la liberación de Terminator
Enviado por Veronica Villa el
Este 8 de octubre, la Comisión de Constitución, Justicia y Ciudadanía de Brasil tiene en su agenda decidir sobre la constitucionalidad de una propuesta de ley que permitiría la tecnología Terminator. Si la iniciativa de ley logra la aprobación de la Comisión, pasaría rápidamente a ser votada en el Congreso. Los recientes debates parlamentarios en Brasil significan la amenaza más seria a la prohibición de las semillas suicidas, tanto en ese país como en el mundo entero.
Brazil Set to Unleash Terminator Threat
Enviado por Veronica Villa el
Today Brazil’s Judicial Commission is slated to rule on the constitutionality of a proposed bill that will allow genetically engineered sterility in seeds, known as Terminator Technology. If the bill gains the approval of the Commission, it could quickly come to a vote in Congress. Brazil’s national law to ban Terminator has been under threat since it was enacted 8 years ago, but this most recent congressional action has caused the most serious alarm since it could swiftly overturn the ban.
Preocupación porque el IPCC incluye la geoingeniería en su nuevo reporte global
Enviado por Joëlle Deschambault el
El Panel Intergubernamental de Expertos sobre el Cambio Climático publicó hoy la primer entrega de su más reciente Informe de Evaluación del cambio climático (AR5 por sus siglas en inglés) un informe que desde su primera versión ha dado la tónica de la discusión sobre este tema en la comunidad internacional.
News Release: Concern as IPCC Bangs the Drum for Geoengineering
Enviado por ETC Group el
As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published the first installment of its latest climate change Assessment Report, AR5, the final paragraph of its Summary for Policymakers – a bullet point referring to proposals for deliberately altering climate systems – has caused consternation by addressing the controversial topic of geoengineering. (1)While the paragraph does not endorse geoengineering, as had been proposed by Russia, its very presence is ringing alarm bells.
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Recent Blogs
The Cool and the Concerned...
Enviado por Jim Thomas el
'The cool' and 'the concerned' -- that was how Zurich-based ethicist Nicola Biller Andorno today aptly characterised the two tribes attending Synthetic Biology 3.0...The cool, in her lexicon, are the synthusiasts, those who regard making synthetic life forms as...like...hey dude, that's like, so cool. The concerned, roughly speaking, is made up of people like us (we've never been accused of being cool). Namely, the dour civil society and social scientists whose gut reaction to making new life forms is -- er.. that's concerning.
Geeks start the week...
Enviado por Jim Thomas el
Sunday afternoon and Synthetic Biology 3.0 gets underway in high spirits amidst the glass and concrete of the ETH Campus. Host Sven Panke kicked off the conference promising that SynBio3.0 would have something for everyone -- the enthusiasts (clearly the majority), the curious and the skeptics (we guess that's us).
Lablife 3.0 - Blogging the Synthusiasts
Enviado por Jim Thomas el
Some of us from ETC are in Zurich for the next few days observing what happens when you cram several hundred synthetic biologists and industrialists into a conference room -- the evolution of a new industrial species? These 'Synthusiasts' are now into their third annual international congress, Synthetic Biology 3.0, each conference named like a software update. Unlike software updates however it's not clear they've really ironed out the major bugs in the intervening years.
Terminator: The Sequel - A New and More Dangerous Generation of Suicide Seeds Unveiled
Enviado por Charlie el
When patents on Terminator seeds first came to light nine years ago, even the most jaded among us were stunned by the audacious corporate greed manifested by this novel (and complex) gene engineering technique. Terminator refers to crops that are genetically modified to render sterile seeds at harvest - the equivalent of a 'biological patent' that would prevent farmers from re-planting harvested seeds and guarantee perpetual sales for the commercial seed industry. 'Suicide seeds' are surely one of the most immoral applications of genetic engineering and an egregious use of taxpayer money.
In Vivo, In Vitro, In Venter...?
Enviado por Jim Thomas el
Is Craig Venter, the so called "bad boy of biology", about to announce the world's first synthetic lifeform? (or 'Syn' for short)... we don't know. According to New Scientist "rumours are circulating that his institute will soon unveil the first synthetic bacterium". What we do know is that he has applied for a patent with broad claims that include a synthetic organism itself...
Monsanto's Takeover of D&PL: The Nail's in the Coffin
Enviado por Charlie el
Last week the US Justice Department (DOJ) gave the green light for Monsanto's $1.5 billion takeover of the world's largest cotton seed company, Delta & Pine Land (D&PL) -- the company that has long vowed to commercialize Terminator seeds (more on that below). The so-called "anti-trust" regulators approved the deal with a number of conditions. For instance, Monsanto must sell Stoneville, one of its largest cotton seed holdings, to multinational Bayer. The company must also agree to license its biotech traits to major competitors like Syngenta and Dupont.
Will Canada Ban Terminator?
Enviado por Jim Thomas el
In the last few years it would have been fair to "blame Canada" for trying to overturn the international moratorium on terminator seeds. Thankfully if a new initiative in Ottawa suceeds the Canadian government may be forced to change its tune.
A bill to prohibit field testing and commercialization of Terminator seed technology was introduced in the Canadian Parliament today by the Agriculture critic (ie spokesperson) for the NDP party.
Further Reflections on EPO Decision to REVOKE Monsanto's Transgenic Soybean Patent
Enviado por Charlie el
Further reflections on EPO's May 3 decision to revoke Monsanto's species-wide soybean patent
ETC Group has been receiving lots of emails and phone calls in the past few days about the defeat of Monsanto's soybean patent one week ago. While most have been congratulatory a few have asked whether this wasn't in fact a hollow victory since the patent challenge was won on technical merits rather than fundamental principles of morality. Will it even affect Monsanto's patent portfolio? One US activist asked:
Open reply to Planktos
Enviado por Jim Thomas el
As well as dealing with Monsanto in Munich this week, ETC Group has also been raising the alarm about a massive geo-engineering experiment scheduled for this month around Galapagos by Planktos Inc. Here is an open reply to a public attack on our press release.
We just defeated Monsanto! (or at least their patent!)
Enviado por Jim Thomas el
In the midst of our new fight over geoengineering near the Galapagos, we've got good news over a very old fight with Monsanto... Hope Shand just phoned from Munich to say that the European Patent Office has agreed with ETC's arguments and overturned Monsanto's soybean "species" patent. There is no further appeal!!