GMOs: Savior, Satan, or Something In-Between?
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Genetically modified organism. Rarely have three words generated such passionate and polarized debate. GMO has become a cultural construct, a metaphor we use to argue about a set of ideas that don’t fit neatly into any clear category: consumer and worker health; corporate greed; biodiversity; the role of the Green Revolution; productive farming in the developing world; innovation vs. tradition; ethics. If one thing is clear, it’s that the emotional debates have overshadowed thoughtful discussion about the role biotechnology can play in achieving food security on a warming planet. Can it help more than it can harm? How fast and in what direction should agricultural innovation advance?
Speakers
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Ricardo SalvadorSenior Scientist and Director, Food and Environment Program, Union of...
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Helena Bottemiller EvichSenior Reporter, POLITICO
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Robert FraleyExecutive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Monsanto (Festi...
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David FestaSenior Vice President of Ecosystems, Environmental Defense Fund
- 2016 Festival
- Health
- Technology
- Environment
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