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Gene Drive organisms: Destructive and Uncontrollable

Submitted by Veronica Villa on

Brief video about gene drives, by ETC Group and Swissaid

 Gene drive organisms have been greeted with a breathless euphoria by some geneticists, policy-makers and philanthropists. By manipulating the sexual reproductive system of organisms, the promoters of the technology claim they should be able to exterminate some species that are harmful to humans. However, once we look behind the headline-grabbing claims, it becomes clear that the use of this technology could put food systems and humanity at serious risk of irreversible harm.

See the video here:

The Right to Climate Justice (COP 25 Madrid)

Submitted by Dru Oja Jay on

Collective Convergence for Just Solutions and Against Geoengineering

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 11:30 to 13:00 Room 4 - Blue Zone

Climate crisis requires a real transformative shift away from fossil fuels in the production and consumption of everything. Grassroots movements and civil society organizations are making this shift through rights-based proposals that stand in stark contrast to geoengineering and other false solutions.

ETC Podcast Episode #1: Gene drives in Africa

Submitted by Dru Oja Jay on

ETC will be occasionally chatting with collaborators, activists and experts about emerging technologies. Check for the ETC podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or other podcast services. A full list of episodes can be found at etcgroup.libsyn.com In Episode #1 ETC's Tom Wakeford speaks with Ugandan lawyer and advocate Barbara Ntambirweki about gene drives, a powerful new genetic technology that can change species in the wild and make species go extinct.

Briefing on Proposed ISO Radiative Forcing Standard

Submitted by Dru Oja Jay on

Leaked documents reveal ISO's geoengineering plans

In early August, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that the ISO, a corporate-driven standards organization, was moving forward with a new standard that could undermine existing climate standards, which included mentions of geoengineering.

At the time, we asked who was behind the push the attempt to create a standard for measuring "radiative forcing," and to create a market for 

Proposed standard threatens to undermine climate agreements, entrench geoengineering

Submitted by Dru Oja Jay on

Who is behind backroom push to undermine climate standards?

DAVAO, MONTREAL AND MEXICO CITY—A report from Agence France-Presse has revealed a new effort to establish the basis for a market for “climate credits” for the use of geoengineering technologies. Civil society groups are denouncing the closed-door negotiations at the International Standards Organization (ISO) that could undermine efforts to curb climate change. 

Was world conservation agency's report on genetic engineering and gene drive organisms rigged?

Submitted by Dru Oja Jay on

Clear evidence of bias and conflicts of interest found by monitoring group

JULY 8, 2019, MONTREAL–In a report released today, ETC Group exposes serious bias and conflicts of interest among members of an “expert” panel convened by the highly influential International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the largest international body that convenes conservation movements.

Civil Society Denounces the Release of GM mosquitoes in Burkina Faso

Submitted by Dru Oja Jay on

We, the undersigned civil society organisations from Africa and around the world, denounce the release of genetically modified (GM) “male-sterile” mosquitoes in Burkina Faso. The GM mosquitoes were released in the village of Bana on 1 July 2019 by the Target Malaria research consortium.i
 

Video: From the Lab to the Field to the Forest

Submitted by Dru Oja Jay on

Synthetic biology on the loose

The expert group that will be filing a report with recommendations to the UN Convention on Biodiversity met in early June, and examined a variety of emerging uses of synthetic biology. Jim Thomas was there representing ETC.

Increasingly, syn bio is moving out of the lab, and companies are conducting experiments and even genetic engineering in the wild – for example, by using viruses or gene drives to change genetic structures in nature.

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