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Geoingeniería
Manipulación intensional, a gran escala, del ambiente para ocasionar cambios climáticos, particularmente para contrarrestar los efectos indeseados de otras actividades humanas.
Ingeniería genética extrema: El Grupo ETC publica su informe sobre Biología Sintética
Enviado por ETC Staff el
Un nuevo informe del Grupo ETC concluye que los riesgos sociales y ambientales de la biología sintética rebasan con mucho los peligros y abusos de la biotecnolgía. El texto, de 70 páginas, puede descargarse sin costo alguno en el sitio web del Grupo ETC.
“La ingeniería genética es cosa del pasado,” afirmó Pat Mooney, Director Ejecutivo del Grupo ETC. “Hoy, los científicos no solo mapean genomas y manipulan genes, sino que están construyendo la vida desde cero, y sin debate social alguno o siguiendo normas de ningún tipo, afirmó Mooney.
Extreme Genetic Engineering: An Introduction to Synthetic Biology
Enviado por ETC Staff el
ETC Group Releases Report on Synthetic Biology
A new report by the ETC Group concludes that the social, environmental and bio-weapons threats of synthetic biology surpass the possible dangers and abuses of biotech. The full text of the 70-page report, Extreme Genetic Engineering: An Introduction to Synthetic Biology, is available for downloading free-of-charge on the ETC Group website.
"Genetic engineering is passé," said Pat Mooney, Executive Director of ETC Group. "Today, scientists aren't just mapping genomes and manipulating genes, they're building life from scratch - and they're doing it in the absence of societal debate and regulatory oversight," said Mooney.
ETC Group: A Brief History
How we began: We began as a conversation about seeds in 1977. Four and a half decades later, we are still talking about seeds, but the world has grown infinitely more complex: new technologies have developed, economies have globalized, multinational companies have expanded their reach, and wealth and capital are concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer giant corporations. Life itself has been manipulated, picked apart, re-assembled – and then patented.
Vlandas' comment
Dr. Alexis Vlandas is Nanotechnology spokesperson for International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility.
In addition to esthetical criteria I based my choice on symbols which conveyed the impression of loose particles freely dispersing. I indeed believe that the main worry comes from material that can easily disperse and thus easily enter the human body. It should be noted that even if particles are initially embedded in a media, great care has to be taken to assess the whole cycle of life of the product so that even when it is disposed of the nano-particulate remain trapped.
ETC Group testifies at US Food & Drug Administration's public meeting on nanotechnology
Enviado por ETC Staff el
“100 Years after The Pure Food & Drug Act: FDA’s current regulatory framework inadequate to address new nano-scale technologies”
Presentation of Kathy Jo Wetter on behalf of ETC Group
Thank you for the opportunity to present the views of ETC Group. We are an international civil society organization based in Canada. Our work focuses on the social and economic impacts of emerging technologies and their implications, especially for marginalized communities. I’m based in ETC Group’s North Carolina office.
Clean-up -- Clam-up -- Screw-up? EPA's Nanotech Regs: Ironic Parameters
Enviado por ETC Staff el
During summer vacation 2006, the lead US environmental regulatory agency acknowledged it has approved at least 15 novel nano-scale chemicals. Earlier this year EPA sanctioned the unproven use of iron nanoparticles to clean up a pesticide dump.
En Estados Unidos, abierta irresponsabilidad para regular la nanotecnologia
Enviado por ETC Staff el
El verano pasado (2006), la Agencia de protección al ambiente de Estados Unidos dio luz verde a 15 productos químicos nanoescalares, aunque anteriormente había sancionado el uso de nanopartículas para limpiar un tiradero de plaguicidas y había prometido consultar con el público la regulación de los productos.
FDA's Little Meeting
Enviado por Kathy Jo Wetter el
FDA's Little Meeting
On October 10, ETC Group attended the US Food and Drug Administrations first public meeting on nanotechnology. About 40 people had signed up to make presentations, and we were each given eight minutes to say our piece to the FDAs newly-formed Nanotechnology Task Force. (You can read the text of ETC Groups presentation here.)
Nano-Drug's Dirty Little Secret
Enviado por Charlie el
Nano-Drug's Dirty Little Secret
Nano-Drug's Dirty Little Secret
Medicina nanológica - Aplicaciones médicas de las nanotecnologías
Enviado por ETC Staff el
Asunto: Las aplicaciones médicas de las tecnologías nanoescalares tienen el potencial de revolucionar el cuidado de la salud al brindar poderosas herramientas para diagnosticar y tratar las enfermedades desde un nivel molecular. Sin embargo, el celo actual en pos de tratamientos potenciados a nivel nanométrico puede desviar los escasos fondos destinados a la investigación y el desarrollo de la medicina y de los servicios esenciales de salud, disminuyendo los recursos directos destinados a los aspectos no médicos de la salud y el bienestar comunitarios. Aunque se proclama que la medicina nanológica es una solución a las urgentes necesidades de salud en el Sur global, en realidad surge del Norte y la diseñan primordialmente para los mercados ricos. El fin último de que la industria farmacéutica utilice tecnologías nanoescalares es hacer que todas las personas se vuelvan pacientes y que todo paciente sea un cliente que pague por “medicar” sus afecciones sociales con drogas y dispositivos que mejoren el desempeño humano. Los fármacos y dispositivos habilitados nanológicamente podrían conducir a una era con dos niveles de humanos —el Homo sapiens y el Homo sapiens 2.0.
Nanotech Rx
Enviado por ETC Staff el
Medical applications of Nano-scale technologies: What Impact on Marginalized communities?
Issue: Medical applications of nano-scale technologies have the potential to revolutionize healthcare by delivering powerful tools for diagnosing and treating disease at the molecular level. But the current zeal for nano-enabled
medicines could divert scarce medical R&D funds away from essential health services and direct resources away from non-medical aspects of community health and wellbeing. Although nanomedicine is being touted as a solution to pressing health needs in the global South, it is being driven from the North and is designed primarily for wealthy markets. Using nano-scale technologies, the pharmaceutical industry’s ultimate goal is to make every person a patient and every patient a paying customer by “medicating” social ills with human performance enhancement (HyPE) drugs and devices. Nanoenabled HyPEs could usher in an era of two-tiered humans – Homo sapiens and Homo sapiens 2.0.
Groups Demand Genetic Independence for Mexicos Maize
Enviado por Silvia Ribeiro el
Groups Demand Genetic Independence for Mexicos Maize
On September 12 just days before Mexico celebrates its Independence Day ETC Group and several Mexican organizations held a press conference in Mexico City and declared the traditional Cry of Independence, but this time for the genetic independence of Mexican maize. It has been over five years since DNA from genetically modified maize contaminated native maize varieties in Mexico.
Synthetic Biology - New alcohol in old (corporate) bottles.
Enviado por Jim Thomas el
Synthetic Biology - New alcohol in old (corporate) bottles.
The Economist this week has a Special Report on Synthetic Biology , the new field of building artificial life forms from scratch. As is to be expected from the Economist, this is a fairly upbeat assesment of the technology that fails to mention the growing opposition to Synthetic Biology, signalled a few months ago when almost forty civil society groups, trade unions and scientific associations signed an open letter calling for caution.
Here at ETC we have been busy writing our own special report on Synthetic Biology (which we are calling 'Extreme Genetic Engineering' - watch this space!). You can expect it to be a bit more critical than the Economist.
Financial Statements
Enviado por ETC Staff el
Years covered:
2006-2007
PDF File:
Financial Statements
Enviado por ETC Group el
Years covered:
2005-2006
PDF File:
Monsanto anuncia la compra de Delta & Pine Land y Terminator
Enviado por ETC Staff el
Siguiendo con la expansión de su imperio corporativo en semillas —Monsanto, la empresa semillera más grande del mundo—anunció ayer que adquirirá por 1500 millones de dólares la mayor empresa de semillas de algodón del globo, Delta & Pine Land, basada en Mississippi (Estados Unidos). Juntos, Monsanto y Delta & Pine Land (D&PL) controlan más del 57% del mercado de semillas de Estados Unidos. Con las subsidiarias de D&PL en 13 países —incluyendo grandes mercados como China, India, Brasil, México, Turquía y Paquistán— esta operación significa que Monsanto tendrá una posición dominante en una de las commodities más importantes del comercio agrícola, y que millones de agricultores de algodón sufrirán una mayor presión para que aceptar semillas de algodón transgénico.
Monsanto Acquires Delta & Pine Land and Terminator
Enviado por ETC Staff el
In a quest to expand its corporate seed empire - Monsanto, the world's largest seed enterprise - announced yesterday that it will buy the world's leading cotton seed company, Mississippi-based (USA) Delta & Pine Land, for US$1.5 billion. Monsanto and Delta & Pine Land (D&PL) together account for over 57% of the US cotton seed market. With D&PL subsidiaries in 13 countries - including major markets such as China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey and Pakistan - the takeover means that Monsanto will command a dominant position in one of the world's most important agricultural trade commodities and that millions of cotton farmers will be under increased pressure to accept genetically modified (GM) cottonseed.
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