Patenting the "Climate Genes"…And Capturing the Climate Agenda

Patenting the "Climate Genes"…And Capturing the Climate Agenda

www.etcgroup.org

Issue: The world’s largest seed and agrochemical corporations are stockpiling hundreds of monopoly patents on genes in plants that the companies will market as crops genetically engineered to withstand environmental stresses such as drought, heat, cold, floods, saline soils, and more. BASF, Monsanto, Bayer, Syngenta, Dupont and biotech partners have filed 532 patent documents (a total of 55 patent families) on so-called “climate ready” genes at patent offices around the world. In the face of climate chaos and a deepening world food crisis, the Gene Giants are gearing up for a PR offensive to re-brand themselves as climate saviours. The focus on so-called climate-ready genes is a golden opportunity to push genetically engineered crops as a silver bullet solution to climate change. But patented techno-fix seeds will not provide the adaptation strategies that small farmers need to cope with climate change. These proprietary technologies will ultimately concentrate corporate power, drive up costs, inhibit independent research, and further undermine the rights of farmers to save and exchange seeds.

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Could this be a way for the big corporations to get their agenda met. Is this food scare really real. I found this topic to be very interesting, as the media broadcasts more and more about a possible food crisis, people are panicing and so we are stalking up on supplies, thus empting the store and making it look like a false food crisis. So then we all believe that their is a crisis and thus it continues. Did we not hear at the start of the north winter season that the main ingredient in winsheild washer fluid was in short supply and that a bottle was going to cost upwards of $12, so everyone went out and bought alot of anti freeze, but it never happened. Is the corporations using this to drive up costs by creating panic, or are they trying to make themselves out as saviours with their miricle genetic products. Thus us accepting them without question. How much of this is real, how much is all in our minds, are we our own worse enemy? I know in many parts of the world their are some food issues with droughts and flooding, that is expected. But with the rising fuel and food, this will only surve one purpose, to destabilize governments, create panic and god we can imagine what is next. This topic just shows how the big corps are starting to really push for their agenda and their super crops, but at what cost.

www.etcgroup.org
(visit the link for the full news article)

this is a very dangerous development, all it takes is one bought and misguided politician and these crops will even get subsidized!

ignorance is only bliss for a while, because the track record of GM crops is not good. if it were, they'd expressly advertise their previous successes, but they don't because mentioning the herbicide wastelands of Argentina or the land grab in India, where many farmers who fell for GM crops are committing suicide daily and the sore fact that Monsanto got thrown out of Indonesia for bribery, would not instill confidence, obviously.


i wrote a thread a while ago, which contains a summary of salient points regarding the use of GMOs in agriculture and how it would actually worsen the food shortage, but increase profits and create a stranglehold on food and fuel crops.

GM crops and the Coming Famine

PS: the food scare is just that, speculation running wild, same as the oil market. through biofuels, these two branches are now connected, implying desastrous consequences.

i mean grain prices tripled, do you think supply vs. demand changed that much? all the bubble money has to go somewhere, obviously.

as they say the rich get richer, it is good for the farmers who have struggled for so long, but how much more can the economys take before there is a total collapse. I think we are all in for a rude awakening, i think its just getting started.

reply to post by kr0n1ck405


worse yet, nobody is listening, or even thinking for that matter and this thread is a prime example. if people won't care on a CTer's board, who will?

How could this be good for farmers? Monsanto is sueing farmers left and right all the time any time they can, thus driving farmers out of business; which is their plan, I suspect. Then they will own the world's food supplies and sources.
Farmers in India are committing suicide in droves because they can't afford to feed their families, since the GM seeds need to be bought every year, instead of seed-saving.