Your Planet

“With the introduction of primitive irreversible genetic techniques in a dangerous combination with a product and profit orientated mind-set forced on a society by a powerful political-industrial complex, humanity faces an uncertain future.”
Arpad Pusztai, Ph.D., FRSE, Biochemist and Nutritionist

In the past several decades, technical advances in bio agricultural have created the impression that we have mastered our environment. Nothing could be further from the truth. In recent years the weight of evidence makes it increasingly apparent that this progress came with a price. Today, as a direct result of industrial agricultural and supportive government policies, the ecosystems that humans depend on for their very survival are on the verge of collapse.

The Global Ocean Crisis

According to a recent report released by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) our global ocean is on the brink of catastrophe. If you're reading this and thinking that's really too bad but it doesn't affect me just stop a moment and take a breath. That breath just came from the sea.

Global Warming

Stephen Thomson’s soul-chilling footage of extreme weather events we have witnessed of late, combined with Bill McKibben’s powerful op-ed piece from the Washington Post last month dramatically illustrates the time for debate is over. Global warming is not something that will affect us in the distant future. It’s here, it’s now, and it’s at our front door. And our food supply is taking a direct hit.

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Nitrogen Overdose

"Altogether, human activities currently contribute twice as much terrestrial nitrogen fixation as natural sources…"
Paul Falkowski, Researcher, Rutgers University

The Black Swan

"I am compelled to fear that science will be used to promote the power of dominant groups rather than to make men happy."
Bertrand Russell, Icarus, the Future of Science, 1925

The term black swan originated from an old belief that all swans were white. In that context, a black swan became a metaphor for something that could not exist. But when black swans were discovered in Australia in the 17th century, the saying took on a new meaning. In the case of genetically engineered industrial agriculture, the black swan became a perceived impossibility that actually has come to pass bringing with it a large impact.

Attack of the Jellyfish

No Brain...no heart...no lungs... and they're taking over. No, this isn't a Stephen King tale of horror, but it's no less scary. In the early fall of 2007 billions of jellyfish attacked a salmon farm in Northern Ireland destroying more than 100,000 fish. In Japan, the number of jellyfish has risen so dramatically they are devastating the livelihoods of fishermen. Mass jellyfish sightings are now common along the Mediterranean coast, off southern Africa, the west coasts of England, Wales and Scotland, the beaches of Waikiki, and the Gulf of Mexico.

These giant jellyfish can grow up to 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) in diameter and weigh up to 200 kg (440 lb). And, they pack a wallop. Over 19,000 stings were reported in the Mediterranean last summer including resorts in Italy and France. Twelve thousand pounds of jellyfish were scooped up in three days off the Costa Tropical last year.

Glacier Data