GMO's, a reaction to new knowlege...

My previous opinion of GMO's was one formulated out of passivity from knowledge of other topics, mainly economics and agriculture. In fact I had never heard of the acronym GMO or had even given a second thought why some could have unforeseeable dangers. The new thought that was then implanted into my head was that dangers of consuming and even producing these GMO's could appear in the long run. These dangers are unpredictable at this point but they would most likely manifest in being harmful to our health or our was of living.

Considering this Poster in conjunction with my previous thoughts may not change my mind on GMO's as a concept but it introduces to me how they could be implemented. On one hand we have a great leap forward in using GMO's to solve one of the world's problems. Potrykus has developed rice that produces beta-carotene, which is a necessary nutrient to prevent blindness. On the other hand the question remains: do we really need the new GMO to solve this problem when this problem had not existed before the 'green revolution'? Shiva is making this claim. It turns out there are many pitfalls to this genetically modified rice. But to avoid using golden rice and still solve the problem would require yet another revolution back to traditional meals. This is the problem.

I agree with Triforce on this one to a point. India's problem of childhood blindness caused by a lack of beta-carotene in the diet can be best solved by reverting to the traditional diet. The real crime lies with the struggle for technological advancement. Scientists who are only trying to do good, like Potrykus, are being hindered by activists like Shiva here. While it is, arguably, best for the people of India to revert back to their old, traditional diet, it is significantly less feasible for them to do so.