By Theodora Filis Since the turn of the century, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the scientific academy of the Vatican, whose 80 members the Pope appoints, has kept the world guessing – will the Catholic Church fully support GMOs? Then, on November 30, 2010, forty international scientists, including seven academy scientists, released a statement demanding a relaxation of what they call “excessive, unscientific regulations” for approving GM crops, saying that these measures prevent the development of crops for the “public good.” The academy scientists also claimed that scientists have both the right and moral duty to be “stewards of God” by genetically modifying crops to help the world’s poor. I've heard that before -- from Ingo Potrykus. Potrykus is a member of the Pontifical Academy, based at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, where he developed “golden rice,” and was instrumental in bringing about the 2010 meeting. Interestingly, but not surprisingly,
It is imperative we all pay attention to the impact of our collective and personal actions on the environment. During the next decade, our global community will be unable to deal effectively with the formidable environmental challenges posed by decades of environmental mismanagement. There are many environmental issues I write about in this blog, some will scare you, and it is my hope, these articles will give you a reason to question and search for answers.