The Goose that lays the Golden Eggs is almost dead...

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Can we resuscitate it?

I’m talking about Biodiversity – the variety of differing types within a species that keeps it viable. The less the variety, the more likely it is to be wiped out by disease.
Consider potatoes – in Ireland, at the time of the Potato Blight, they mainly grew only one type of potato countrywide. As a consequence, after two years of crop failure the nation was starving and up to one million died. The blight struck in other countries as well, but because they grew very many varieties of potato there was little damage done.
America has lost 86% of its apple varieties, 88% of its pear varieties. The huge variety of corn types has dwindled to just a few. The same is true world wide.
To prevent extinction of these limited crops we have to use chemicals that poison the environment and destroy other species we no longer see as ‘important. Incidentally, we are EATING these chemicals in ever greater concentrations. What is it doing to US? To our children and grandchildren?

You comments, opinions and related information would be interesting.

 

eventually the US will go down by potatoes, all part of Saddams plan

 

It's not only America, the EU-laws are also bullshit for a 'healthy diversity'. Apples wich are rich of vitamines can't be sold because their diameter is not correct, the taste of cucumbers is not important the bending is, tomatoes taste absolutely like water but their colour is right and the genetic manipulation prevents rotting for weeks.

 

Sorry - I wasn't implying it was only America! Far from it! It's a world-wide problem.
What beats me is that ordinary people can see it and Corporations refuse to.

 

Isn't that problem allaround? The big corporations are looking only at their shareholder values.
It is not only monocultures, it's CO2 emission, trawling, destruction of rain-forrest.........all obvious facts for the 'common peoples' but which of the big bosses cares?
Btw. I didn't mean that you are implying sth. to America it was only a peg(?) for me to grumble about dumb EU laws.

 

Have none of you heard of genetically altered fruits and vegetables??

there is a big fight here right now that concerns labelling of such foods. It may seem like it would be a bad thing. But with the problems that plague our earth, eating something that was genetically engineered to avoid the deseases and other such plights wouldnt be so bad.

 

Kitiara You are right. And One day (hopefully before its too late) we are able to make up for the past 50 years and make the old variety come back by genetic-altering means.

Reminds me that my studies begins on monday. Well end of 3 months "vacation". Sometimes a University isn't that bad, guys and gals

[This message has been edited by Nobleman (edited August 29, 2001).]

 

BLAH BLAH BLAH

In my country the nature is almost untouched. Ecology means no "dirty" industries. Less money - but richer life for me and my (possible) children.

Only thing that bothers me are sulfur rains that come with clouds from your countries. In near future, when you murder your countries' nature we'll just close our borders to tourists. If you destroyed your own nature, what will keep you to destroy any other country's nature? Nothing. You'll destroy it out of pure jealousy.

As long as I'm live, I'll propagate no exchange green areas for MONEY.

AND YOU CAN SUFFER!

What should I do, understand you?
You have your chance, but every day that passes, less chance to mend anything. DO NOT HESITATE! For some areas it's already too late.


[EDIT]
To Nobleman:
I don't know what is a "greenie". No such word in dictionary.
No matter, if my OWN thoughts are thoughts of "greenies", yes, I AM GREENIE. Can you stop me?

[This message has been edited by Extremist (edited August 29, 2001).]

 

I dropped my economics education. Done 3 years. Now I study Genetics. Why? Because
I think humanity is doomed. I plan on going to a nice settlement on mars,. Stay there 20 years untill we have terraformed the earth once again.

A joke? Partually. For 50 years we have said that things will change we will save the earth. Have I seen any change? No. Can I see anything that pinpoints stronger initiatives than the last 50 years have offered? No.

Now all the bureaucrates move in and talk for God and everybody about new initiatives.

PS: Extremist is a greenie. Extremist is a greenie. heh heh

EDITED HERE: Yes I can stop You, But I won't. Why should I? I am One myself. Member of WWF. Studying ways to help nature. That's why its OK to tease You. No hard feelings. =>to myself.

[This message has been edited by Nobleman (edited August 29, 2001).]

 

Sigh.

More eco-freak rambling. I have to put up with every day at work.

Yes, it's silly to ruin land for any reason (money is not the only motivation). But most of what people start caterwhauling about is not ruining the land. Drilling in Alaska is not about to ruin it. Drilling in the Gulf of Mexico is not going to ruin it. Oil drilling in general is a safe, environmentally benign thing.

Acid rain, on the other hand, is not.

 

Nobleman what does WWF stand for? In America if you say WWF people think you are talking about the World Wrestling Federation

[This message has been edited by Big B (edited August 29, 2001).]

 

Yeah, everyone is aware of America's ways...

Especially that America and ecology are two opposite words!

Then again, this is not about America or Americans - this is about whole world.

Hmmmm...I'm talking to walls here...

 

luckely I'm behind those walls

there is no way to stop the destruction of the planet, no one will listen untill its too late and thats how it is, no need to cry, we are all doomed

 

What wall are you talking about E?
<BUMP!>
Oh that wall
Don't ever think I am all about America and oblivious to the rest of the world. I just wanted to know what WWF stands for (and jokingly added that I know it as the World Wrestling Federation) But unless I am missing the picture here, Nobleman is not a proffesional wrestler instead a member of WWF that stands for something else, most likely something to with the environment. I just was curious as to what exactly.
<Bumps into another wall>

 

WWF is the World Wildlife Foundation. There's actually a suit against the World Wrestling Federation for the use of the initials WWF. Apparently the animal folks had the name and the initials first and agreed to let the wrestlers use the initials if they did so sparingly.

They didn't.

 

Thank you Shralp. That's interesting about the suit.

 

Sadly i think you are correct about when the world in general will start to devote major amouts of recorces to preserving the wildlife it will eather be to late or we will only barely manage to miss compleate disaster. As for the trick with genetic manipulation havent we been doing that sence the dawn of agracalture only no we do it in a lab in perhaps a year of study and before we did it by selective breeding over decades and centuries.

 

True, Kemanmaldea, but when we did it over a long period of time in a more natural way, we could see problems arising before it was too late. Also, we were not introducing genes that did not belong in the species. Today, we are putting human genes into pigs, for example, so that we can use pig tissues for human transplants. We are putting genes from one species into another with increasing frequency. Do you know what that can mean?
It can mean the spreading of animal diseases into the human population. It can mean the spreading of human diseases into the animal population. It could potentially even mean the exchange of disease between plants and animals, and humans. We could be setting a time bomb for life on earth.
Yeah, I know. I'm going over the top and being alarmist.
Aren't I?

 

It's not the impact of GM foods on human health that alarms me so much as the potential impact on the ecosystem. When you travel to a foreign country, they want to make sure you are not introducing even "harmless" lifeforms since the impact on nature is unknown. For example, a rather lovely flowering plant called Purple Loosestrife was brought to Canada from Europe and it quickly caused the extinction of many local plants because it competed so much more effectively.

The problem with foods genetically modified to avoid plagues and generally to be stronger, is the same problem with introducing a new plant or animal into an ecosystem. With no natural enemies it can quickly take over. What if they created a "super-grain" that grows incredibly fast, needs almost no water, is never eaten by bugs, and is immune to most blights? Scenario One: It eliminates human hunger. Hurray!
Scenario Two: It spreads like wildfire. Bugs can't eat it, so they have to move on to find another crop. The grain competes successfully with local plants and crops, and the bugs get hungry and die. Then the smaller animals die because there are no bugs to eat. Then the larger carnivores die because there are no smaller animals to eat. Soon we are alone on the planet with our grain. Given the historical impact of "new" plants and animals introduced by colonisation, the risk of scenario two is not as low as we'd like to hope.

If you share my concerns (and it seems many do!), there are alternatives to waiting for government to act- in fact I personally am allergic to most government acts anyway. Buy local "heritage" foods from organic cooperatives instead of supporting the international agri-business with your grocery dollars. If nothing else, only selling meat locally instead of shipping cows and sheep all over the place would have saved European farmers a lot of grief over the last few years.

I'm not as good about local-foods-only as I'd like. In an extremely cold climate, that would mean little more than cabbage and potatoes 9 months of the year. But I do buy almost exclusively organic foods, and local meat.

Of course I'm not saying this course of action is for everyone. But for other 'greenies' like me, why wait around for inept government action? Vote with your household grocery budget!

[Edit: Although I know this is an extremely unpopular sentiment, I just have to reiterate this: Blaming "big corporations" for doing things you pay them to do (by buying their products) is not very productive. Neither is waiting around for the government to stop the big corporations from doing what you pay them to do. The only way to control big corporations' activities is by boycotting them when you don't like what they do, and financially supporting ethical companies EVEN THOUGH their products always cost more.]

[This message has been edited by Sprite (edited August 30, 2001).]

 

Yes Fljotsdale You are. We have very strict rules to work under in the western world.We have a lot of sudden unannounced inspections from the government in our lab to work with even the simplest genetic altered material. And there is a lot of paperwork and clarifiing just to be allowed to bring genetic altered material OUT of our Lab. What You say is the talk of sensation journalists or other alarmers. But What goes on in Cuba for examble is a whole other matter....

Sorry Big B that I wasn't around.

We are actually named both World Wide Fund for Nature and World Wildlife Fund.
We are an independent environmental organisation. But We don't spend as much on Fundraising as Greenpeace so we are less known around the world.
http://www.wwf.org/ http://www.panda.org/


EDITED HERE: No Big B I am not a Wrestler

[This message has been edited by Nobleman (edited August 30, 2001).]