"The public relations' uses of Golden Rice have gone too far. The industry's advertisements and the media in general seem to forget that it is a research product that needs considerable further development before it will be available to farmers and consumers."
News about a "Golden Rice" first appeared in August 1999, when scientists announced they had succeeded in genetically engineering a rice variety to contain Beta-Carotene (or pro-Vitamin A), a compound that our body can convert into Vitamin A.
The scientists said they hope that this genetically engineered (GE) rice would be an important tool to fight Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD), a malnutrition problem which affects millions of people in poor countries, especially children and pregnant women...
NATO Foreign Ministers meeting as the North Atlantic Council in Brussels have one main item on their official agenda - to formally endorse a report on NATO arms control and disarmament policy.
Autumn 2000 brought extreme weather to Britain. Flooding was the worst and most widespread in 100 years. More than 3000 homes were flooded across Britain and our transport system was paralysed.
Extreme weather is no longer simply a natural event. The current changes to our climate cannot now be separated from the impact of fossil fuel pollution. Unless we break our addiction to fossil fuels like oil and coal we are set to experience even greater changes.
Bio-diesel is the name for fuel made from vegetable oils. It is made either directly from crops such as rapeseed, sunflower and soya, or by recycling cooking oil.
Bio-diesel is not zero emission, but the environmental impact of bio-diesel is much lower than that of petroleum-based diesel. The impact on global climate change of bio-diesel is half that of petro-diesel. Bio-diesel produces virtually no emissions of sulphur or hydrocarbons. Emissions of air pollutants such as carbon monoxide and particulates are also significantly reduced.
On 26 July 1999, 28 Greenpeace volunteers were arrested for their part in peacefully removing a crop of genetically modified (GM) maize. At the subsequent trial for criminal damage, the legal defence was that those involved had a 'lawful excuse' in removing the maize. This book brings together the statements submitted to the court by scientific experts, demonstrating that the defendants beliefs about the risks from GM were reasonable. The scientific case supporting their beliefs was never challenged by the prosecution, so these statements were never aired in court.
Background briefing on the legal challenge to Government on GM crop trials
Greenpeace is informing the government that it considers the planting of this winter's GM farm scale trials unlawful. Greenpeace will give the government fourteen days to respond to demands to institute proper planning procedure. After fourteen days we will follow further advice from our legal counsel...
Greenpeace has been campaigning for more than 20 years to stop oil exploration and drilling in the Beaufort Sea, and our particular focus over the past four years has been BP's Northstar project. Greenpeace has reviewed thousands of documents and permits on the project, and has provided oral and written comment at every stage of the permitting process.
The Amazon rainforest is one of the biologically richest areas in the world containing more than one-third of the world's remaining ancient forests and supporting up to 50% of the planet's land-based animal and plant species. The Amazon contains more than 2.5 million species of insects, more than 300 species of mammals, 2000 species of fish and more than 60,000 species of plants.
