While some companies are banning genetically modified organisms, more than a third of living Nobel laureates want Greenpeace to embrace them. A letter signed by 107 laureates stresses the potential of GMOs to solve some of the world's biggest problems, including how to increase crop yields to feed our growing population and reduce the use of pesticides. Yet Greenpeace—which calls GMOs "genetic pollution"—is standing in the way. Not only does the group misrepresent the risks and benefits of GMOs, but it supports the destruction of GMO research projects and "deliberately" scares people away from GMO crops as a way to raise money, 1993 Nobel laureate Richard Roberts tells the Washington Post. "What Greenpeace is doing is damaging and is anti-science."
Research has "repeatedly and consistently found crops and foods improved through biotechnology to be as safe as, if not safer than those derived from any other method of production," the scientists say, per Science Alert. "We urge Greenpeace and its supporters to … abandon their campaign against 'GMOs' in general and Golden Rice in particular." Golden Rice refers to a genetically engineered crop that could counteract vitamin A deficiencies—which cause blindness and death—among 250 million people in Africa and Southeast Asia. "How many poor people in the world must die before we consider this a 'crime against humanity'?" the scientists add. "Opposition based on emotion and dogma contradicted by data must be stopped." Greenpeace has yet to respond. (More Greenpeace stories.)
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