Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food
October 29th, 2008
Posted by: spectraz
No Comments

Although I have not read it, I immediately became suspicious when I saw information about the book Tomorrow’s Table. Is there a way to combine genetic engineering (GMO) and ecological agriculture? According to Waldemar Ingdahl @ the swedish think tank Eudoxa the very resistance towards genetics is not good for farmers. I suspect that he means ‘not good’ in terms of economic aspects, however, there seems to be more to this than what I expected.
Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food by Pamela C. Ronald & R. W. Adamchak, bring forth these somewhat controversial stances, or are they really something else? One of the authors is a [...]

Paraquat
October 23rd, 2008
Posted by: spectraz
No Comments

In the latest issue of Gaudeamus (5/2008 Stockholm University), Michael Tedengren (Professor in Systems ecology(?)) says that the European Union is planning to legalise similar substances as Paraquat. Paraquat was allowed within the European Union in 2004:
“The European Union allowed Paraquat in 2004. Sweden, supported by Denmark, Austria, and Finland, brought the European Union commission to court. On 11 July 2007 the court annulled the directive authorising Paraquat as an active plant protection substance.”[http://curia.europa.eu/en/actu/communiques/cp07/aff/cp070045en.pdf]
What is Paraquat?
Paraquat is a chemical substance that can be used as a pesticide against fungus etc when growing stuff, stuff which we in the western world take for granted, such as fruit. Paraquat is highly poisonous [...]

(Two) Ways Of Looking At Peak Oil
October 14th, 2008
Posted by: spectraz
No Comments

Are you among those people who think about how much fossil fuel we are allowed to use or a person who thinks about how much fossil fuel we can use? Perhaps you are not into any of the views at all?
My point is that we should be concerned with all perspectives on peak oil and activism. Should we centralize or decentralize our efforts of saving the environment? Or might it be better if governments deal with these issues globally and that the citizens (consumers) deal with the problem of climate control on a local level?
There is an interesting little write up over at Copyriot where these issues are brought [...]