Sustainability & Climate Change
Food production needs are expected to roughly double over the next 35 years as the world population grows and people in under developed countries become more affluent and demand more calories. Healthy ecosystems are vital to the survival of all organisms. How can we grow crops without harming the environment? How can we balance technology and global food security? What is the right balance of organic and conventional farming? What role can genetics and biotechnology play without compromising the needs of tomorrow?
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
New rice variety that grows in salty water could feed millions in China
Scientists in China have developed several types of rice that can be grown in seawater, potentially creating enough food for ...
Can any GMO documentary, pro or con, get the issue right?
Both films [Food Evolution and Island Earth] were fun to watch. They both also get a lot of the facts right. But ...
Disease-resistant GM potatoes that reduce pesticide use ‘worked brilliantly’ in UK field trial
A genetically-modified (GM) potato designed to resist a devastating plant disease has worked “brilliantly” during the first year of field ...
Glyphosate herbicide ban won’t save anyone from cancer, will harm environment
The widely used weedkiller glyphosate is available in every garden store, but now there are fears it can cause cancer ...
Using sunlight to make plastic? Genetically modified algae shows promise
Michigan State University scientists are proposing a new way to economically produce biodegradable plastics with sunlight and help from an ...
Arctic golden delicious: Non-browning genetically engineered apples debut in Midwest grocery stores
Boldly going where no genetically modified apple has gone before, Arctic apples from Okanagan Specialty Fruits will ship to about ...
Talking Biotech: Former anti-GMO activist Mark Lynas on how resistance to crop biotechnology hurts small African farms
Mark Lynas, Cornell Alliance for Science: "Moral injustice" of NGOs preventing Africans from adopting GMO crops driven by "green ideology" ...
Video: Why organic and non-GMO labels don’t matter when it comes to eating healthy
[N]on-GMO labels do more than placate people concerned about scientists secretly tinkering with their food. They might persuade people to make ...
Neonicotinoid insecticides may hurt honey bee colony health by reducing genetic diversity
[Editor's note: The following is from a study published in the open-access mega-journal PLOS ONE.] Neonicotinoid insecticides can cause a ...
Is organic farming sustainable? 5 carbon footprint challenges
Along with unsubstantiated claims of better nutrition and safety, supporters of organic farming often cite its lower carbon footprint as ...
Activists in India put GMO mustard in regulatory limbo
India has frozen requests to commercially release a locally developed genetically modified mustard, an environment ministry document released on Tuesday [October ...
Glyphosate herbicide may negatively impact beneficial soil bacteria in certain situations, study finds
As farmers battle in their above-ground war on weeds, they may inadvertently create underground casualties – unintentionally attacking the beneficial ...
Non-GMO condoms? Label’s proliferation confuses consumers
The National Milk Producers Federation launched a “peel back the label” campaign this summer, aimed squarely at a growing list ...
European Commission seeks 5 to 7 year renewal of glyphosate herbicide—down from 10
The European Commission will seek to extend the license of glyphosate — the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide — for between five ...
Jon Entine podcast: Corruption and secrecy behind IARC’s glyphosate cancer designation?
Glyphosate has been in the headlines for two weeks. Here's a background interview with the GLP's executive director explaining the ...
Is organic really better for the environment than conventional agriculture?
As the total global population continues to rise and economic growth drives a transition towards more resource-intensive diets, a growing ...
Video: Coffee’s status as world’s favorite drink threatened by climate change, shallow gene pool
Climate change could spell disaster for coffee, a crop that requires specific temperatures to flourish and that is highly sensitive ...
Bangladesh to provide incentives for farmers to grow more GMO Bt eggplant
The government plans to incentivise farmers to produce more genetically modified (GM) brinjal [eggplant].... [Eggplant, also known as brinjal and ...
‘Supercharged’ GMO rice could increase yields 50 percent with improved photosynthesis
Researchers from Oxford University have taken an important step in a long-term project aimed at improving photosynthesis in rice. In ...
European Parliament votes to ban glyphosate by 2022 in non-binding vote
Ban household use now, agricultural use by end 2022 Risk assessments by the EU Commission must be made public EU ...
Plant growth genes identified that could lead to increased crop yields
Scientists say the discovery of a group of hormones in plants could revolutionise food production by improving yields. The Universities ...
Viewpoint: Anti-pesticide activists exploit chemical testing technology to scare public
One religious group forecast an apocalypse a few weeks ago. They used the Bible as their source. More recently, a newer religion ...
Talking Biotech: Uganda farmer-scientist on benefits of GMO disease resistant bananas
Kevin Folta in Uganda interviews scientists and farmers about bananas resistant to crop disease and the likelihood of commercialization ...
Activist case that glyphosate herbicide causes cancer mired in scandal
A perfectly useful herbicide could be banned in Europe thanks to a tangled network of lobbyists, lawyers and activists. … ...
Glyphosate, IARC and politics: ‘We need a more honest debate’
Glyphosate is one of the most hotly-debated herbicides of the modern era. Many of the arguments against the popular weed-killer ...
There’s ‘Big Ag’ and ‘Big Organic’—How much does ‘big’ matter when it comes to sustainability?
It's the way crops are farmed not the farm's size that matters when it comes to sustainability ...
‘Ecological Armageddon’? Three-quarters of flying insects in Germany vanished in 25 years, study claims
The abundance of flying insects has plunged by three-quarters over the past 25 years, according to a new study.... Insects ...
