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.
WHO’s IARC under fire for ignoring exculpatory data on glyphosate: Should it be reformed or abolished?
Independent scientists challenge IARC's use of 'hazard' rather than 'risk' analysis--its operating premise that a substance should be ‘labeled’ carcinogenic ...
Will GMO-wary public embrace gene-edited food crops? ‘It’s more social science than science’
Green stalks have only just begun to sprout in the test fields where biotech giant DuPont Pioneer is planting rows ...
Glyphosate herbicide ban could cost UK farmers $1.2 billion, reduce tax revenue
New figures show the potentially devastating impact of a ban on glyphosate to the British economy and the agricultural sector, ...
Should the government have ordered the destruction of harmless and beautiful ‘illegal’ GMO petunias?
Sometimes government regulators do things that are not merely misguided but gratuitously stupid. A classic example came [May 2017], when ...
High yield gene-edited rice: Field trials begin in Japan
A food research body [in Japan] has started growing genome-edited rice plants outdoors on a trial basis for the first ...
AquaBounty acquires first US fish farm to raise fast-growing GE salmon
When salmon from AquaBounty Technologies reach grocery stores and restaurants, some of them will come from America’s heartland. AquaBounty has ...
Organic industry forms ‘anti-fraud task force’ following discovery of ‘contaminated’ USDA-certified imports
A task force convened by the Organic Trade Association will get to work [June 2017] on developing a best-practices guide for ...
Canada delays neonicotinoid insecticide ban decision until at least December 2017
Health Canada won’t issue a final decision on whether it will ban imidacloprid [until at least December 2017], says a ...
Will Trump continue Obama-era ‘streamlining’ of crop and animal biotech and gene-editing regulations?
[Editor's note: Hank Campbell is president of the American Council on Science and Health.] President Donald Trump spent a great deal ...
Are farm chemicals to blame for Iowa’s sick oak trees?
Iowa’s state tree is under stress. Visible damage to oak trees in recent years may be caused by farm chemicals, ...
Can CRISPR gene editing revive promise of GMOs to provide hardier, more nutritious, better tasting crops?
Using CRISPR to add—or remove—a plant trait is faster, more precise, easier, and in most cases cheaper than either traditional ...
Nature editorial: USDA and FDA need to ‘harmonize’ gene-edited plant and animal regulations
In January [2017], two US agencies proposed the first substantial overhaul in 30 years of how they regulate genetically altered ...
Could a mushroom save honey bees from Varroa mites?
What is killing honey bees? The most prevalent cause of death is due to infestation by the invasive Varroa mite, ...
Video: Dietitian Abbey Sharp’s hilarious look at the GMO debate
[Editor's note: Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), food writer and blogger, and founder of Abbey's Kitchen Inc.] Did ...
Talking Biotech: ‘Know GMO’ documentary fights food fears, misinformation with science
Filmmaker Nick Saik's 'Know GMO' documentary builds dialogue on food science and farm technology ...
How genetics helps make cows more profitable and environmentally friendly
[J. P.] Brouwer, along with his father and two brothers at Sunalta Farms in central Alberta, runs the first commercial dairy ...
Climate change may speed up pest’s tolerance of insect-resistant GM Bt corn
Climate change might be great news for pests looking to munch on genetically modified crops, researchers propose. In particular, researchers ...
Activists fan concerns about CRISPR ‘off target’ effects in gene-edited crops and foods. Are they right?
Off-target simply means an unintended effect as opposed to what researcher's are trying to produce. It's akin to side effects ...
EPA to investigate ‘glyphosate review-related matters’ after allegation of Monsanto collusion
The inspector general for the Environmental Protection Agency is initiating a probe into possible collusion between a former high-ranking EPA ...
Genetically modified ‘resurrection’ crops could help Africa deal with drought, climate change
[Jill] Farrant is the world's leading expert on plants which can "resurrect" from a desiccated state after they are rehydrated ...
‘Gut punch’: Canadian farmer takes attacks against GMOs personally
[Editor's note: Andrew Campbell is a dairy and crop farmer near London, Ont.] Our corn and soybeans are mostly genetically ...
Winemakers abandoning organic status for sustainability, improved taste
The shift has been more common in France, where wineries have cited concerns about the environment and copper buildup from ...
Debate swirls over yield and bee health impact of neonicotinoid seed treatments
A study by Purdue entomologist Christian Krupke [May 2017] was the latest to conclude that honeybees are widely exposed to ...
India’s National Academy of Agriculture Sciences backs commercialization of GM mustard
Agriculture scientists came out in the open on Monday, backing the indigenous genetically modified mustard, which they said would lead ...
Slugging it out with a new contender in the GMO debate
“I thought it might be worth meeting,” [said Penn State University entomologist John Tooker], “because I read the piece where ...
Uganda: Successful field trial of blight-resistant GMO potato
In Uganda, about 300,000 smallholder households grow potatoes for their subsistence living and for income. Loss due to late blight ...
‘All natural fetish’ fuels ‘counter-rationalist mindset’ on GMOs in Vermont
Immersed as we are in these exquisite pastoral gifts, Vermonters tend to forget that Mother Nature might be lovely, but ...
