DURING the 68th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting held on June 24-29, Nobel Laureate Sir Richard J. Roberts delivered an Agora Talk about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) emphasising the benefits of GMOs and how they can provide nutritious food to developing countries across the globe.
Roberts, who is leading the initiative “Laureates Letter Supporting Precision Agriculture (GMOs),” a campaign of 133 Nobel Laureates supporting GMOs, delivered an impassioned speech to a room full of people.
He said: “There are 800 million hungry people in the world. For them, food is like medicine.”
In fact, he continues, taking a look at today’s crops and vegetables where “pretty much everything we eat today has already been genetically modified compared to original plants.”
The 1993 Nobel Laureate also discussed the serious consequences of the backlash that GMOs have received.
Using Golden Rice as an example, he said that deliberately ignoring the science that underpins GMOs is foolish and dangerous.
Millions of children have died or suffered developmental impairment because of a lack of Vitamin A in their diet.
Golden Rice could reverse this, but unfortunately it has become a target of the Green parties because it is a GMO.
He also asked: “How many more children must die before this is considered a crime against humanity?
