In 1992 the historic UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, popularly known as the Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil witnessed unprecedented political will and commitment among governments to make a paradigm shift to sustainable development.
This paper examines the potential health effects of foods derived from genetically modified (GM) plants. While such an important topic, the database on the likely biological effects of GM foods is woefully inadequate.
While agricultural productivity is adversely affected by climate change, agriculture is itself a significant contributor to global warming. Agricultural activities have been identified as a major source of the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change. However, as this paper explains, agriculture also has considerable potential for climate change mitigation.
Assessment of the immunotoxicological effects of GMOs has mainly focused on the allergenic potential of genetically modified proteins whereas general immunotoxicological investigations of whole GMOs are not described in the literature. This finding, together with the findings of a Bt-specific IgE response in humans working with Bt pesticides reported by Bernstein et al. and Doekes et al.
Two usual objections are levelled against the proposal that organic agriculture can feed the world. Organic agriculture, opponents claim, gives low yields, and there isn
Most climate change models predict that this global phenomenon will have severe impacts on small farmers, particularly in developing countries. Increasing temperatures, droughts, heavy precipitation and other extreme climatic events could reduce yields by up to 50 percent in some regions, especially in drylands.
Many crucial scientific questions concerning the health effects of genetic engineering and genetically engineered organisms remain. In this report, the authors identify some of the putative health hazards related to genetically engineered plants used as food or feed. They also identify numerous areas of omitted research, which need urgent investigation.
