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Greenpeace is een non-profit organisatie
die actief is in 40 landen, verspreid over Europa, Noord-
en Zuid-Amerika, Azië en Oceanië.
Om zijn onafhankelijkheid te garanderen, aanvaardt Greenpeace
geen giften van regeringen of bedrijven. Het kan wel rekenen
op de bijdragen van sympatisanten en beurzen van stichtingen.
Als een wereldwijde organisatie concentreert Greepeace zich
op de grootste bedreigingen voor de biodiversiteit en het
leefmilieu van onze planeet. |
Genetic Engineering
Genetic engineering enables scientists to create plants, animals
and micro-organisms by manipulating genes in a way that does not
occur naturally.
These genetically engineered (GE) organisms can reproduce and interbreed
with natural organisms, therefore spreading to new environments
and future generations in an unforeseeable and uncontrollable way.
Greenpeace opposes all releases of genetically engineered organisms
into the environment. Such organisms are being released without
adequate scientific understanding of their impact on the environment
and human health.
This genetic pollution is a major threat because genetically engineered
organisms cannot be recalled once released into the environment.
Governments are attempting to address this threat by international
regulations such as the Biosafety Protocol.
Because of commercial interests, the public is being denied the
right to know about genetically engineered ingredients in the food
chain, and the right to avoid them. Greenpeace advocates immediate
interim measures such as labelling of genetically engineered ingredients,
and the segregation of genetically engineered crops from conventional
ones.
While scientific progress on molecular biology has a great potential
to increase our understanding of nature and provide new medical
tools, it is no justification to turn the environment into a genetic
experiment. Biological diversity must be protected and respected
as the global heritage of humankind, and one of our world's fundamental
keys to survival.
Greenpeace also opposes all patents on plants, animals and humans,
as well as patents on their genes. Life is not an industrial commodity.
When we force lifeforms and our world's food supply to conform to
human economic models rather than their natural ones, we do so at
our own peril. |
