Falling on a genetically modified sword
In the “better late than never” category: A British activist who helped create the movement against genetic engineering technology and genetically modified foods in the 1990s has “discovered science” and realized he was very, very wrong.
Mark Lynas delivered a bombshell address at the Oxford Farming Conference last week, apologizing for how he “assisted in demonizing an important technological option which can be used to benefit the environment.”
He helped to coin the term “frankenfood,” and said the fears fomented by such campaigns “spread like wildfire” and essentially resulted in the banning of GMO food in Europe and much of Asia. But after a comment on one of his columns in the Guardian in 2008 accused him of being anti-technology (“Are you also opposed to the wheel because because it is marketed by the big auto companies?”), Lynas decided to do a little research. He said he “discovered, one by one my cherished beliefs about GM turned out to be little more than green urban myths.”
“I’d assumed that it would increase the use of chemicals. It turned out that pest-resistant cotton and maize needed less insecticide.
“I’d assumed that GM benefited only the big companies. It turned out that billions of dollars of benefits were accruing to farmers needing fewer inputs. …
“I’d assumed that no-one wanted GM. Actually what happened was that Bt cotton was pirated into India and roundup ready soya into Brazil because farmers were so eager to use them.”
GM food is essential, Lynas says, in helping feed our growing global population. We urge everyone to read Lynas’ talk in full on his blog.
“This piece reads like the ACSH charter,” says ACSH’s Dr. Josh Bloom. “We deal with this kind of thing daily. Agenda-driven pseudoscience has polluted our collective thought processes so thoroughly that it is impossible for the average person to tell what is scientifically valid anymore. I have to give Lynas a load of credit: It must have been quite difficult to question and then refute his previous position on this issue.”
Anyone who would throw a pie in someone’s face and destroy private property over intellectual differences and make a living protesting scientific advancement has emotional problems. But to have been a leader is such activities and never looked at the science is not only emotionally problematic, it smacks of insanity. However, It is always gratifying to see someone overcome mental instability. Unfortunately he still clings to the unscientific claptrap known as ‘consensus’ science in support of climate change. Apparently the voyage to sanity is a step by step process.
Wow! As you say, changing his position is a big deal. Unfortunately, it’s too late now. As with the “vaccines cause autism” movement, the truth will have no impact on the devotees. The harm he helped initiate will continue regardless. (To be fair, though, if he had never been involved, there would still have been a Frankenfood movement. It’s just the way people are. It’s WHY such fears “spread like wildfire.”)
Science is an amazing force. It can cure mental instability, delusional behavoir and hubris. My faith has been restored. If only we could bottle it and sell it as a natural supplement.
I spent a good part of my younger years getting degrees in Chemistry, physics, mathematics, economics and french. Then I went to medical school. I did this because I wanted to better understand the world, and how to improve it with my contributions. I learned much about many things, not the least of which was that I still had much to learn.
I am always amazed at the hubris often combined with religious like zeal which almost always rests upon a very strong base of ignorance and bigotry, supported by many different kinds of secondary gain which are the consistent basic elements of the people who are anti progress and anti science advocates, who advocate positions which cause trouble for those of us who are actually trying to deal with the real problems of the world. They contribute little to the improvement of the world, primarily because they know little, and don’t understand what they don’t know.
It is amazing to me that so many people choose to be ignorant of the things about which the claim to feel the most passionate. Almost never have I found this type of person to be able to see their limits, or the limits of the factual basis which do or more often do not support their views.
Since learning how to recognize and understand the limits of my beliefs and knowledge, then how to act constructively to improve the factual basis of my beliefs, rather than advocating ignorance based, often foolish, often dangerous, ideas. I have yet to meet or read an article by an anti science advocate who considers the possibility they are acting in ignorance of the true facts of the issues about which they feel so passionate.
Thus, Mr. Lynas seems to be the first who has been able to change his views, when he ignorance decreased. Good for him, apparently he still has not learned that the lessons of his changes in attitude toward GM foods, would be paralleled if he would get better educated about the actual facts of global warming.
It is very frustrating to try to communicate with people who don’t know what they are talking about, and don’t have a clue that they don’t know much about the issues they are talking, and advocating. So, I don’t do it. And, the world problems fester, get worse, because most people are to ignorant to understand what they don’t understand, and are too immature to deal with their ignorance before they start advocating policy changes for the world.
I often wonder, will the willful ignorance of the uneducated but passionate masses, continue to dominate the democratic governments. I think it will because there will always be more ignorant, passionate bigots than well educated people with good judgement and a good understanding of the problems and potential solutions and also the limits of their current understanding, and how to better deal with all of that.
The competition between ignorance, with bigotry based passion, and the few people with real understanding, and a knowledgeable approach to solving the world’s problems, will determine the fate of mankind, yet very few people seem to feel any obligation to understand what they understand, and more importantly what they don’t.
If you don’t understand what I have been trying to explain, then you are part of the problem, and unable to be part of the solution, because you don’t have enough understanding of the actual issues to deal with them constructively.
Dear Mr. Exley,
Well done!
Rich Kozlovich
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Well said Ray…
The unfortunate thing is you are right, we live in a world where any ‘fact’ is mixed with utter rubbish to announce everything from how dangerous GM crops are despite being used for decades with no such dangers materializing, to other rubbish like teaching religious nonsense in place of science with a healthy dose of being allowed to bypass the requirement to demonstrate itself, on the grounds that it can’t, and therefore shouldn’t be asked to!
This is the very sort of rubbish that people, most people actually agree with. You and I might attest to the idea that the best way to make a decision should be on the evidence alone, dispassionately and even in contradiction to our own personal views…
But others think science is equivalent to ‘opinion’ and that somehow the laws of the universe orbit our world awaiting the next groups ideas about it before changing to accommodate.
Thats the way the world is, if we need to change it, then we really need to apply ‘wisdom of crowds’ to all political and social decisions… obviously with those who are right most often being given a higher weighting.
That way all the woo will go away, becasue it won’t be able to compete with ‘ability to demonstrate’