I had one of the most insightful evenings with the ever idealistic Greenpeace staff. And maybe in the coming years I will also be one of them sharing and imparting their knowledge to our volunteers. Well, it has been my undying passion to contribute something to the environment. I have been writing several environmental stories but this time I just don’t want to sit on my chair and focus myself in pieces of paper to convert my idealistic ideas to manuscripts and readable articles.
Last night, our staff in Greenpeace oriented us about the campaigns we are currently pushing through: STOP CLIMATE CHANGE; ELIMINATE TOXIC CHEMICALS; and SAY NO TO GENETIC ENGINEERING. Among the three, genetic engineering took my attention and interest. Well, climate change and toxic waste campaigns are typically normal. I mean the people are well informed about these campaigns since most of our PSAs, documentaries, writeups etc. nowadays focus on these topics. But what about genetic engineering?
It’s not your Virtua Fighter or Street Fighter cloning process. Though it has something to do with genes, DNAs and other related stuff, it has been another transmogrification to our technological breakthrough. But have you ever imagined eating tomatoes with the genes of a fish? How about corn with bacterial genes or soybeans with built-in herbicides? What if you have eaten a vegetable with the genes of a food you are allergic to? Are there health and environmental implications? There are so many questions over your head that form like a halo.
To give you a brief explanation of what genetic engineering is all about, here’s the definition of it from www.safe-food.org.
Genetic engineering is a laboratory technique used by scientists to change the DNA of living organisms.
Since DNA is the blueprint for the individuality of an organism, the features of the original test sample will be altered upon transmission of other genes from other test samples (other species). I’ll give you a more specific example. Tomatoes are not advisable to be planted near the winter season because they become hard and inedible. Thus, genes from a fish can be transmitted to the tomatoes to remain fresh even in extreme coldness. At first glance, this might look exciting to some people. But deeper consideration reveals serious dangers.
Benefit to Farmers
It’s inevitable to have farmers who whole-heartedly accepted this technology. For example, a farmer who planted genetically modified corn seedlings can have higher yield because the corn would be pest resistant unlike the conventional way of farming which gives farmers inconvenience whenever pests start to destroy their crops. Of course, if you are the farmer you prefer the more effective way.
Risks Involved
Greenpeace is not totally against the “science.” WE are against the release of this technology to agricultural purposes. There are no lab tests yet to prove that it does not harm people’s health. OUR concern is... why release something to the market and let the people consume it without scientific basis of its safety? We cannot risk the lives of the people.
Greenpeace Advocacy
Greenpeace is in the forefront of the campaign to oppose the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment. Greenpeace insists that because the technology is very new and imprecise, the potential ill effects on public health and on the environment are still widely unknown. The truth is no one knows for sure how these new man-made creations will affect life on planet Earth. Therefore, because there is still no scientific consensus as to long-term impact, and in accordance with the precautionary principle, it is best that no releases of GMOs into the environment be allowed.
This technology must be approached with great caution and more study! Releasing GMOs into the environment could have lasting effects that we cannot yet even imagine.
Think About It
This is not a simple issue. Let me end this with what had been published in Washington Times: “Genetic engineering is like performing heart surgery with a shovel. Scientists do not yet understand living systems completely enough to perform DNA surgery without creating mutations which could be harmful to the environment and our health. They are experimenting with very delicate, yet powerful forces of nature, without full knowledge of the repercussions.”
