biotechnology
###Synthetic Biotec##
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Probably the biggest issue coming now is synthetic biotechnology, the third big wave
of new biotechnologies. First of the biotechnology waves was GM food, second was
the rush to make money on biotechnology medicine, now biotechnology is poised to
replace parts of the chemical industry.
Synthetic biotechnology is genetic engineering done with computer programs that
guess at what the molecular code should do and then writes a codeplan. DNA is then
synthesized artificially to match the codeplan. It is very possibly dangerous and
it will definitely cause disruptions in the commodities markets (bad for developing
countries/ poor countries). This new way of doing genetic engineering is also
expected to create huge corporate monopolies. One of the big names behind this is
venture capital scientist Craig Venter. Basically, he wants to strip out all the
so-called junk DNA from a simple bacteria, and then synthesize it artificially. But
he will use the empty space in the DNA strands to code in proteins that can process
chemicals. For example, the first thing he wants to be able to do is build a bug
that eats cellulose and creates petrol for automobiles. His backers are oil
companies who are clear that when the oil runs out they still want to be in control
and they still want to promote a lifestyle of over-consumption based on high energy
combustion fuels. This is already being heralded as the answer to the petroleum
crisis. However, in stead of finding an answer to the question “how do we change
our lifestyles of over-consumption?” he is finding an answer to the question “how do
we preserve over-consumption and protect the hierarchical economy built through
petroleum consumption?” Obviously this has quite a lot of “magic bullet” appeal to
the global elites. Craig Venter’s next project is just as bad if not worse. He
wants to build a bug to sequester carbon (like artificial plankton) and then salt to
ocean with them (direct release of new organisms on a massive scale into the
planetary ecosystem). This is called geo-engineering and likewise appeals to global
elites for the same kind of reasons: a “magic bullet” for Climate catastrophe which
would preserve the power of the elites who have guided the world up until our
current state of affairs. This booklet “Extreme Genetic Engineering” is probably
too long (72 pages) to be included in a reader but you should both be aware of it.
Here is the .pdf file
http://www.etcgroup.org/upload/publication/602/01/synbioreportweb.pdf
See Page 1 in the booklet – a simple description of synbio which we could include in
the biotechnology reader.
See also these three cartoon posters which describe who the corporate funders are
behind synbio. Lots of oil company money. These could be part of a reader.
http://www.etcgroup.org/en/
Note the map on page 8-9 shows mainly USA, Northern Europe, and a few other powerful
countries control synbio. As you can see there are currently no synthetic biotec
start-up companies in Greece. The richer parts of Europe and the richer countries
in the world are monopolizing the financial benefits of this technology. However
the effects will be everywhere.
For example bio-prospecting from other peoples’ cultural and genetic resources is an
issue. In Chiapas, Mexico one of the people working with an organisation to protect
local indigenous genetic rights told me this Craig Venter guy had contacted them
wanting to do bio-prospecting (taking genetic samples of plants and animals,
sometimes people). Her organisation turned him away.
Possibly the spookiest-sounding (spooky in a creepy way) bit of synbio is alien
genetics. Earth based life forms have DNA molecules that are coded with just four
letters, CGTA. Today scientists are experimenting with adding artificial letters
into the double helix molecule of DNA. See page 21 of the Extreme Genetic
Engineering report.
### Cosmetics & nanoparticles : Women as human guinea pigs ##
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Nanoparticles are now being used through out Europe in women’s cosmetics without
safety testing. Although not strictly speaking, a genetic issue, this is probably
an issue to discuss in the reader. As the largest release of untested potentially
toxic nanoparticles its important to notice that women across Europe are being made
into the unwarned guinea pigs of a scientific experiment without boundaries or
precautions. L’Oreal Cosmetics is the largest company behind this. The cosmetics
threat to women might relate well to another biotechnology issue: human enhancement.
Women are the first people who are faced with the demand to enhance their bodies.
###Super-creepy "human enhancement" discussions##
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Human “enhancement” through nanobiotechnology is now being discussed by government
and corporate researchers. The logic of enhancement begins with the idea that some
bodies are inadequate. First of all this reminds some of us of early 20th century
eugenics. The dif-ability rights community is very against this. Also, with this
type of logic it wouldn’t be long before your regular human body would come to be
considered inadequate unless you are “enhanced.” This could potentially lead to a
greater and greater commoditisation of the human body. A friend from the UK road
protest movement organized a workshop on this issue where I met Gregor Wollbring.
Gregor is a dif-ability rights organiser and well informed on technology politics.
If we had a video link he would almost certainly be willing to give a workshop and
could probably suggest contacts in the European dif-ability rights movement. Here
is material written by him.
http://www.innovationwatch.com/commentary_choiceisyours.htm
###Big Corporations & biotec##
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Corporate watch is a UK based NGO that works well with direct action grassroots
movements. They have a lot of literature that we could potentially use for the PGA
reader.
http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/
For example, here’s what they’ve written on synbio
http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/?lid=3046
Here is a short piece on how to research a corporation (we should make sure this is
relevant outside the UK)
http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/download.php?id=31
Corporate Watch also has company profiles of several of the big biotech companies
http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/?lid=202
Here is their short briefing piece about nanotechnology
http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/download.php?id=32
in which they print how to join the previous email list that I started from people
at the PGA conference 2004 Belgrade and the London ESF technology politics
meetings. Also a few US people on the list but that email list is pretty quiet
now.
https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/techne
###PGA conference 2004 discussion piece still relevant##
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We could rewrite/update this piece "Orienting Grassroots Movements to Technology
Politics" https://lists.riseup.net/www/arc/techne/2005-01/msg00001.html
I think this is a quite good piece with exception of stuff on nanotechnology
(which was outdated by the time it was written -as indicated by the critique it
received on the list
https://lists.riseup.net/www/arc/techne/2005-01/ )
###Social Forums##
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I’m hoping the ESF in Malmo will deal with technology politics issues (as a theme or
just set aside space for workshops). Not sure how that is going yet but presumably
something will happen. The ESF doesn’t seem to acknowledge technology politics as
readily as the PGA. Perhaps the Beyong the ESF autonomous space can be helpful in
this process.
Last thing, just to be aware of, some technology politics people have succeeded in
getting the World Social Forum to acknowledge and take up the issue of how science
and technology are used by the capitalist system. This will happen on the opening
day of the WSF in Brazil in January of 2009.
http://fsm-science.org/appel/
See particularly the acceptance of the call
http://fsm-science.org/appel/index.php?a=au&c=60sh8e
Biotech lobby propaganda:
The reference example of the 4th International Biotech Conference in
Athens-February 2008 and counter-action generated.
The story of a franchising-way-of-biotech-expansion including the main
European lobby, its branch in Greece and all their networking tools like
international conferences with the a biotech-friendly State blessings to
promote their agenda to the public.
EuropaBio lobby. The name for propaganda
The main lobby of the biotech sector in the European continent is called *
EuropaBio*, an institution promoting the biotech agenda and nothing else but
the instrument of the top 1800 biotech companies including Monsanto, Bayer,
Syngenta and BASF in order to press politicians, influence the media and
support research and business people to join the biotech boom. EuropaBio is
considered the European branch of BIO (Biotechnological Industry
Organization) The BIO international annual conventions in US are the largest
gatherings of biotech proponents. Notably, since 1998, most of these
conferences have been met with resistance in the form of
counter-conferences, marches and other large gatherings (See www.biodev.org)
*Manipulate opinions*
* *
EuropaBio became most famous ten years ago when some leaked documents
revealed how its promoting agenda had been organised in order to manipulate
public opinion about Biotechnology and Genetically Modified organisms (info
following by the Corporate Europe Observatory). Back then a strategy
proposal for EuropaBio by a Public Relations company the Burson Marsteller
had been leaked. This paper was outlining a scheme aimed to soothe public
fears and outrage over the new biotechnologies and to ensure general
acceptance. **
A storm of protest and concern has been raised amongst citizens both in the
US and in EU and a the fundamental problem that consumers won't accept
biotech products due to feared health or environmental risks was still
hanging over their heads although their relations with both the EU
Commission and Parliament were pretty good. In their words, they are*
*"*actively
engaged in dialogue with the European institutions and contribute to the
creation of a coherent legislation for bio-industries. EuropaBio ensures a
steady flow of information about biotechnology to the European Parliament,
the European Commission and the Council of Ministers*"
According to Burson Marsteller, EuropaBio has *"*f*irmly established
[itself] as the primary representative of European bio-industrial interests
within the political and regulatory structures of Europe"* and the
organization has an "*indispensable direct role in the policy-making
process."* However, *"this role is no longer in itself sufficient to ensure
the supportive environment Europe's bio-industries need to achieve global
competitiveness through the new biotechnologies. A sustained communications
strategy and programme able to generate favourable perceptions and opinions
beyond the policy world is now essential."*
The leaked paper was recommending four basic strategies: "*stay off the
killing fields*", "*create positive perceptions*", "*fight fire with fire*"
and "*create service-based media relations*". The were talking about *symbols
not logic*, *stories not issues*, *products not technologies*, *beneficiaries
not benefits* and other usual PR methods to promote the favorable effect on
Commission and EU citizens.
*The Greek connection*
* *
In 2004 Bionova Ltd was appointed the Greek National Association
representative of EuropaBio (EuropaBio Hellas). Bionova was first founded in
2002 as a communications and consulting firm in the Bio-Industry sector. The
mission of Bionova is stated as to promote and actively support technology
transfer and investments in the biotechnology sector and to provide leading
management and consulting services though partnerships of excellence. They
gradually built a network of leading external advisors and partners-like
university professors, biotech multinational executives and others, to
assist development of selective university spin-offs or other biotech
start-up companies, out-license and commercialize intellectual property
(bio-patents) to the global bio-industry market. In other words, to take all
necessary actions to promote an alliance between research and business
sector and make as much profit possible out of it.
*Local propaganda platforms*
A Biotech Journal named BIO and an annual International Biotech Conference (
igbf.gr
are the main communication tools Bionova is using to promote the lobby
agenda.
BIO a luxurious magazine is edited with the purpose to tempt with its
hi-tech design and sophisticated yet popularized knowledge. It is
circulated, except to the public, to scientists, research institutes, even
schools, and intents to give a glossy image to the brave new world of
commercially aggressive science. Sporadically articles for the benefits of
the Genetic Engineering and the potentialities of cloning can be found among
scientific publications for Gene Therapy and Biotech Pharmaceutics, when the
promises that the Biotech sector, regarded as the new industrial revolution,
can reach hyper-profits, flows among the pages.
On the other hand the annual international conferences are some very
expensive fests of Bionova including scientific presentations,
bio-industry-mass media relation seminars, and business transfer of
knowledge. Officially the topics covered are Bio-pharmaceutics (Red
biotechnology), Agro-Biotech issues (Green Biotechnology) Environment (White
biotechnology) and the necessary Bio-economics. The conferences often host
spectacular names of the global Bioscience sector, like Nobel-prized
researchers and famous names of Medicine with no other purpose but to give
an aura of advanced validity, seducing local scientists, especially younger
ones, and establish the good reputation of the Biotech forum. Integrated
seminars for the public opinion management and the promises of biotechnology
can leave on the other hand, no doubt for the subconscious intentions of the
forum hosts: Promote Biotech on any spectacular mean.
Nowhere is mentioned of course the huge amounts of money invested by the
lobby partners to organize such big events aiming to create a solid basis of
a biotech-friendly think tank, attract local labor intellectual force, and
capitalize research in order to favour the lobby partners-big multinational
chemical companies, spreading now their spectrum to novel sciences and
regions.
*The sponsors** (a complex of corporations, Greek State and US and Israeli
embassies) ***
* *
Syngenta, Bayer, Novartis and other big biotech global players have already
appeared in the sponsors of Bionova-circulating every year so all of the bog
corporations can join. But most interesting thing about the conferences is
that they are usually held under the auspice of several Ministries including
Agriculture, Development and even the Ministry of Arts and Culture. This
appeared mostly under the governship of the Greek right-wing party where the
number of supporting Ministries has raised to seven. Introductory speeches
of Ministers are also included every year and when one minister cannot
somebody else will appear, like if the physical appearance of a State's
representative can give a higher estimation to the conference, The minister
are always emphasizing the forum's crucial role to progress and society and
the importance of biotechnology to sectors like Agriculture, Medicine etc.
And naturally nobody asked for the voting public opinion having rejected 95%
genetically modified organisms and the decisions of all Greek prefectures
not to allow GE cultivations on their land. Last not least, foreign
embassies like the one of USA and Israeli state have appeared as Bionova's
sponsors, no strange if we consider the interests of these governments to
expand market and support on European field.
*EU's money for Biotech research through Bionova (How the wolf feed the
flock)*
Another outrageous fact is that for the money of the 7th
Framework-Program (European
Union's subsidies for investigation given to Institutes, Universities etc)
Bionova was addressed by the Greek State to be the National Agent of the
show-how-where-to-distribute on the issues of Food, Agriculture &
Biotechnology. The fact that Bionova holds as the national representative of
EuropaBio leaves few doubts about which investigation field will be
favoured. It is rather now more than ever before that GM tomatoes will be
cultivated in Greek research Institutes.
*Counter-action up to now *
The generation of local representatives of big Global Biotech Engines has
not left indifferent activists around Greece counter-informing and acting
against the establishment of a well supported network of propaganda and
influence. Already many active initiatives have corresponded and acted with
demonstrations, info-tours and interventions in order to disrupt all efforts
of the EuropaBio lobby representatives. Last year's conference met the
biggest mobilization of all with several hundreds protesters marching
towards the igbf's conference centre, plenty info-material been spread to
the media-published even to high-circulation editions- and a substratum for
future joint action established.
This year's conference of Bionova takes places in 2-3 of February, 2008, in
the center of Athens. All major issues of Biotechnology regarding Medicine,
Agriculture with special issues for Agrofuels, Environment and Bio-economics
will be presented. Counter-action is already being organised with the aim to
inflict the institutionalised status of the Greek representatives of Global
Biotech Engines.
*Order81*
order81.blogspot.com