Courtesy of Yale Global Online, here is a round-up of some top environmental stories. Of course, there is the usual parade of stories about global warming, but one in particular by Rick Weiss at the Washington Post caught my eye:
Rice Industry Troubled by Genetic Contamination
By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 11, 2007; Page A03When Fred Zaunbrecher heard in August that the popular variety of long-grain rice he was planning to grow had become contaminated with snippets of experimental, unapproved DNA, the Louisiana rice farmer took it in stride and ordered a different variety of seed for his spring planting.
But when federal officials announced last week that the rice he and many others switched to was also contaminated — this time with a different unapproved gene — irritation grew to alarm. The two sidelined varieties accounted for about a third of last year’s Southern rice crop, and planting was set to begin within days.
“Everybody’s been scrambling for seed,” Zaunbrecher said. “I have no idea whether there will be enough or not.
Yes, so here we are after the so-called bio-tech revolution, and the US can’t sell its Rice because the contamination is so deep and so widespread, farmers can’t lay their hands on uncontaminated seed.
And the US is still out there, lobbying against any restrictions or labeling requirments on GMO’s.
Of course, the problem is by no means confined to Rice, as we can see here:
And so here’s a few of the stories featured on Yale Global’s environment page, and I would reccommend this site as one to check back on from time to time to get more news on the environmental issues:
Poor Nations to Bear Brunt as World Warms
Wealthy nations’ plans to adapt may protect only a generation or two from climate change
And here’s a great story (yes, it really is senseless to drive around in your SUV to and from your gated community on the way to the Mall hauling more and more stuff around, as you ruin the environment):
Global Warming Can’t Buy Happiness
The US discovers that more – big homes, lots of stuff – does not deliver happiness
Recall the prediction #20:
20. A snippet of genetically engineered DNA will be discovered in an organism that is not its intended target. This example of horizontal DNA transfer will cause many to reconsider the need for regulation of GMO’s, and DNA sequencing technology.
