Jeremy Rifkin
(1943-)

American Economist, Writer, Biotechnology Critic
Founder, Foundation on Economic Trends

birthdate: ?
birthplace:
Denver, Colorado

QUOTES

How do you deal with a whole ecosystem where wild grasses and weeds have become herbicide-resistant, pest-resistant, and viral-resistant?

It seemed to me that we needed to have a thorough and thoughtful global discussion on the potential environmental implications of reseeding the earth with genetically modified organisms.

In this country, the health concerns and the environmental concerns are as deep as in Europe. All the surveys show that. But here, we didn't have the cultural dimension. This is a fast-food culture.

Many of the genetically modified foods will be safe, I'm sure. Will most of them be safe? Nobody knows.

Remember, these are the same companies that brought us the petrochemical revolution. They used similar arguments to the ones they're using now, saying, "Look. We'll have a quick fix. We'll make sure that the chemicals don't ruin the environment."

The American public is not aware that there might be potential allergenic and toxic reactions. With regular food, at least people know which foods they have an allergy to.

The 10 largest antitrust law firms in the United States have gone into the federal courts charging Monsanto with creating a global conspiracy in violation of the antitrust laws, to control the global market in seeds.

The industry's not stupid. The industry knows that if those foods are labeled "genetically engineered," the public will shy away and won't take them.

They're now turning those seeds into intellectual property, so they have a virtual lock on the seeds upon which we all depend for our food and survival.

We are already producing enough food to feed the world. We already have technology in place that allows us to produce more than we can find a market for.

We are entering a new phase in human history - one in which fewer and fewer workers will be needed to produce the goods and services for the global population.

When we seed millions of acres of land with these plants, what happens to foraging birds, to insects, to microbes, to the other animals, when they come in contact and digest plants that are producing materials ranging from plastics to vaccines to pharmaceutical products?

 

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