Por: Guillermo T. 07 de Julho de 2016
107 Nobel Laureates just signed a letter slamming Greenpeace
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More than 100 of the world's leading scientists just took a major stand in the debate over genetically modified organisms (GMO), by penning an open letter to Greenpeace and others who actively campaign against the use of GM crops.
In particular, the scientists called Greenpeace out for publicly opposing golden rice - a GM crop that has the potential to save millions of lives each year by reducing vitamin A deficiency in the developing world.
"They have misrepresented [GMOs] risks, benefits, and impacts, and supported the criminal destruction of approved field trials and research projects," the researchers write in their letter. "How many poor people in the world must die before we consider this a 'crime against humanity'?"
The researchers reference the numerous studies and review papers over the years that have found GM crops to be safe, and not actually that different to regular crops. They're also our best chance of doubling food production by 2050 to feed our rapidly growing population.
But despite all that, Greenpeace has continued to aggressively campaign against their use - even destroying research crops and sabotaging scientists' work in order to stop the use of GM crops.
"Scientific and regulatory agencies around the world have repeatedly and consistently found crops and foods improved through biotechnology to be as safe as, if not safer than those derived from any other method of production,"write the scientists. "There has never been a single confirmed case of a negative health outcome for humans or animals from their consumption."
The letter is part of a campaign called Support Precision Agriculture, organised by Philip Sharp, the winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology, and Richard Roberts, the chief scientific officer of New England Biolabs.
It's now been signed by 107 Nobel Laureates, including Elizabeth Blackburn, who was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize for Medicine, and Tomas Lindahl and Paul Modrich, who won last year's Prize for Chemistry.
