Poverty, lack of education, overpopulation, political instability, lack of medication, lack of infrastructure, these things are all at the root of much of what is miserable in the Third World. The idea that mixing the beta carotene gene into the rice genome will be some kind of magic fix to these problems is breathtaking in its shortsightedness. No, we insist on a techno-fix, however unproven or risky the technology may turn out to be, because it is part of our Western hubris and arrogance to do so. If you say yes, just remember that an algal bloom has its largest population just before the big die-off. Pesticides and chimera crops are both based, not on serving true human needs, but on serving the urgent needs of the system that created them, to generate new markets and high profits.
Unrestricted growth is the credo of the cancer cell.
The program is hosted by geneticist and environmentalist David Suzuki, and may be available outside Canada on PBS stations or other channels.