The Debate on the Golden Rice and Its Background
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The Debate on the Golden Rice and its Background A Literature Review Klaus Ammann, [email protected] Dedicated to the inventor and relentless promoter of Golden Rice, Ingo Potrykus Judge GM crops on their properties, not the technique used to make them – and we can start saving lives Editorial help: Vivian Moses, Patrick and Michael Moore 20140615 references numbered with full text links Millions of children die worldwide every year, an untenable situation that is still worsening which needs immediate correction. According to the World Health Organization (1), an estimated 250 million preschool children are vitamin A deficient (= VAD) and it is likely that in VAD areas a substantial proportion of pregnant women are also affected in 2013. Earlier reports (2) make evident that the problems are still growing: (in 2004: 140 million preschool children and more than 7 million pregnant women were suffering from VAD) 2 Preface It is not the intention of the author for this literature compilation on Golden Rice to replace the two websites www.goldenrice.org and www.allowgoldenricenow.org, they contain major information pieces, are well organized and specific information is easy to access. Rather it is the aim here to pull together a set of publications related to the background of the Golden Rice debate. We often are confronted with all kinds of determined opinions about the Golden Rice, Bio-Fortification, Transgenic Plants, Traditional and Organic Agriculture etc. and it is the purpose of this summary to shed light to the background of opinions pro and contra the Golden Rice – on how and why those opinions grow and how they are unfortunately melting down into simplistic slogans. The author hopes, that – reflecting the scientific and cultural background of this ardent debate - it will be possible to enhance mutual understanding. It is highly necessary to foster dialogue to overcome the deep divides, but fundamentalist views have no place here and will be dismantled. Mutual understanding cannot be achieved by deviating in a superficial way from the scientific foundations of knowledge and heritage in all kinds of natural and social sciences. Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Innovation in Agriculture: a lot of ignorance, many misunderstandings, an analysis of dynamics and origins of the fake debate driven by fear. .................................................................................... 5 3. Golden Rice and Genetic Engineering ............................................................................................. 8 3.1. Bio-Fortification ....................................................................................................................... 8 3.2. Golden Rice, the first and second generation .......................................................................... 8 4. Genomic Misconception: Conventional and GM crops are based on the same molecular processes........................................................................................................................................... 10 5. Eco-Activists and their political influence. .................................................................................... 11 6. Campaign AllowGoldenRiceNow as a successful counter reaction: ............................................. 14 6. Limits of high cost vitamin A supplementation, food fortification and breast feeding ................ 15 7. Success of better diet in the fight against VAD fails in connection with extreme poverty .......... 17 8. Sustainability, an often abused term ............................................................................................ 19 9. Arguments of opponents of the Golden Rice and its contradiction ............................................ 21 9.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 21 9.2. List of contradictions to false statements of activists against the Golden Rice..................... 21 10 The wider field of the Golden Rice debate, a summary .............................................................. 24 11. Selection of slides for presentations on the topic of Golden Rice .............................................. 27 11.1. The slides following this text .............................................................................................. 27 11.2. Additional slides from other Golden Rice presentations: .................................................... 27 12. References ...................................................................................................................................... 28 3 1. Introduction Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and malnutrition: the connection has been known for centuries. A cure for night blindness with the sap of roast or cooked pressed ox liver applied directly to the eyes has been known since the Ebers medical papyrus 1550bc (3-6). About the Papyrus Ebers see also (7-15). Figure 1: A page from the Ebers Papyrus from Leipzig. A cure of night blindness with the sap of pressed ox liver applied directly to the eyes has been known since the Ebers medicine papyrus 1550bc (3) A clear connection between eye diseases and malnutrition was established as early as 1908 (16), who also mentions the Ebers-Papyrus. As early as 1933 and 1938 experiments linked night blindness to VAD (17, 18). 4 Today we know that in developing countries between 250,000 and 500,000 children become blind annually, and half of them die within 12 months of losing their sight Today we know that in developing countries between 250,000 and 500,000 children become blind annually, and half of them die within 12 months of losing their sight (1, 19, 20). Even more shocking is the fact that VAD leads to nutritionally acquired immune deficiency (21-23). Consequently, providing vitamin A to all children in undernourished settings could prevent an estimated 1.9–2.7 million child deaths annually from otherwise survivable infectious diseases. (24-26). Generally, it is hard to understand why the GM opponents are indulging into a veritable eco-imperialism, giving orders to people e.g. in Africa on how to organize their food production by excluding GM crops (27). It is worth noting that, with full medical care, a much greater number of children, ca. 6 million, could be rescued annually (28). But, unfortunately, for many years this has been and will be an illusionary scenario. Based on statistics from 2000, this would entail an annual cost from US$ 3.1 - 8 billion. These figures call for an introduction of Golden Rice without further delay (29, 30) – the annual costs of delay in India alone have been estimated as US$199 million, based on about 1.4 million life years lost over the past decade - in India as an indicator. See also (31). 5 2. Innovation in Agriculture: a lot of ignorance, many misunderstandings, an analysis of dynamics and origins of the fake debate driven by fear. In the present era of the western prosperity we have lost contact with global reality (32, 33). It is sad to see that as consumers and citizens from the wealthy countries we do not adapt our thinking to the economies of poor countries (34). The world is still confronted with persistent hunger epidemics, slavery and the abuse of the poor of all kinds, particularly children (35, 36), gigantic food waste (37, 38), endemic violence supported by shameless arms trafficking fostered by the well-equipped and virtually unregulated weapons industries of wealthy countries (39), the existence of eco-imperialist attitudes of rich countries in the developing world (40, 41) - an awkward list which could easily be expanded. Indeed, this inertia to take account of the realities of global politics and specific needs of developing countries should be reduced by the growing global knowledge with its steadily improving internet exchange. But instead of seeing chances for change, we are compensating the growing contrasts with a cultural pessimism by developing technophobia and basic resistance towards progress in the Western world (42). Strange pseudo-cultural tendencies develop alongside a romantic concept of nature from which humans should be excluded, a concept which leads to more conflicts and fewer solutions (43, 44), (45). Sadly, people are hypnotized by mass media and activists raising money and taking advantage of the principle “evil always fascinates – goodness rarely entertains”. Conditioned fear provides a critical survival -related function in the face of threats by activating a range of protective behaviours Activist groups take skilful advantage of a climate of political mistrust coupled with our readiness to maintain concerns related to our personal welfare. Those fears are deeply in-trenched in our behaviour derived from our perilous history when prompt reaction to fear was essential for survival (46, 47). Conditioned fear provides a critical survival-related function in the face of threats by activating a range of protective behaviours (48), (49-51). That makes fear "far, far more powerful than reason," says neurobiologist Michael Fanselow of the University of California, Los Angeles. Neural modelling can open doors for better explanations of fear dynamics in human society, despite its own limits (52). Indeed, the evolutionary primacy of the brain's fear circuitry makes it more powerful than reasoning circuits (53). But there