Note from the Editor:
It was encouraging to note the flurry of replies and the
interest sparked by Rabinder Singh's post on the retailing of
organic produce. We look forward to more such exchanges
and hope that many of you will continue to contribute your
ideas and support to making this a reality. Keep the posts
coming.
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M
A K I N G I N D I A G R E E N
Vol.
1, No. 12 «°» December 2001
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In
This Issue
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- Leader:
Of Multiplicity and Men
- Take Action:
Mega-shipbreaking yard threatens Fisherfolk in A.P.
- Feature Article:
WTO Doha Ministerial - "We Take Over" by Devinder Sharma
- MIG Features
(The Lighter Side of Environmentalism): Anansi - The Biopirate
- Green Tips:
Have a Green New Year on the Net
- Contact Us
- Subscribe/Unsubscribe
- Recommended
Resources: Books on the Human Cloning Debate
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Leader
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OF
MULTIPLICITY AND MEN
In the back
alleys of science, the first human clone
will soon be created...whether the world is ready for
it or not.
In the Hollywood
comedy "Multiplicity," Michael Keaton
portrayed the humourous side of the cloning debate.
And there are probably many of us who yearn for a clone
(or two) to take care of some of the more time-consuming
aspects of our daily lives. I plead guilty of doing the
same when having to play sole entertainer to my active
two-year old.
There are many
who support therapeutic cloning i.e.
creating a genetically identically embryo for the sole
purpose of harvesting stem cells, to cure ailments
ranging from cancer to aging disorders. But there are
other, less ethically-sensitive sources of harvesting
stem cells - like the umbilical cord blood of newborns.
And those who
subscribe to the cloning for therapeutics
theory might be playing into the hands of scientists who
want to go just one step further, and implant those
cloned embryos into the wombs of infertile women.
There are too
many unsavoury aspects to the cloning
debate, not the least of which is the way in which
the first human clones will possibly be created - in
a manner fitting of a medical thriller - by a few rogue
scientists, in an secret lab, outside the scope of
scientific and legal scrutiny.
Panos Zavos,
the Kentucky fertility specialist, who
is working to clone children for infertile couples,
and Clonaid lab chief Brigitte Boisselier, who says
her lab has already created cloned embryos, will
probably be the first to lay eyes on the first
laboratory-generated genetic replica of a living
human being.
How should
we feel? Should we be excited or appalled?
Should we see this as a triumph of science over Nature's
limitations or as something to be feared as a threat
to our individuality and genetic uniqueness. Will it
bring the proponents of eugenics closer to their
dreams of creating a "super-race" of genetically
"improved" humans?
If it represents
a landmark in human history, it also
represents the obvious failure of our scientific and
political leaders, as well as the ineffectiveness of
our legal systems to anticipate and foil the actions
of these rogue scientists.
And it seems
that all we can do is prepare ourselves
for the brave new world of genetic look-alikes.
Jennifer Lopez
clones, anyone?
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SHOULD HUMANS BE CLONED?
Take part in a simple poll on your personal views about
human cloning.
Just click on one of the options below to
send in your
vote. Feel free to elaborate. Your views will
not be posted
to the group unless you indicate otherwise.
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Read about
the debate in our special section
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TAKE A GREEN POLL!
Tell us what you think about issues like
Genetic Engineering and Plastic Recycling.
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TAKE ACTION:
Mega-shipbreaking yard
threatens Fisherfolk in A.P.
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Government regulators
have been pressured into granting
permission for the setting up of a mega-shipbreaking yard
in Odarevu, a town in the eastern coastal state of Andhra
Pradesh in India.
The yard which proposes
to import and break ocean-going
vessels laden with toxic substances will wipe out
fisheries in the nearby areas and devastate the environment.
Evidence about the
destructive impact of shipbreaking on
the environment and fisheries is available from the
existing yards in Alang, Gujarat.
See the reports on
why ship-breaking is a dangerous,
dirty game.
It is not too late
to prevent this project from coming up.
Take Action to prevent
India from becoming a bigger
dumping ground for the world's toxic ships-for-scrap.
Sign the petition below
and send an instant email to the
Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, asking him to revoke
the permission for the shipbreaking yard and instead
invest in infrastructure that benefits the fisherfolk
in leading a sustainable lifestyle.
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Feature:
WTO Doha Ministerial - "We Take Over"
by Devinder Sharma
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In his usual indomitable
style, Devinder Sharma explains
why the new trade paradigm set at the WTO Doha Ministerial
will not only usurp democratic traditions in the name of
trade and sustainable development,but lead to denial of
human rights as well as economic and political freedom for
those living in the Third World.
___________________________________________________
Devinder Sharma is
a New Delhi-based food and trade policy
analyst. He may be contacted at:
dsharma@ndf.vsnl.net.in
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MIG
Features (The Lighter Side of Environmentalism):
Anansi - The Biopirate
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In our humour section,
this African Folktale with a
modern twist tells about those buccaneers of modern
civilisation - the bio-pirates.
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message and we'll publish
them in our humour section.
Only family-friendly
material please.
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FAST FACTS:
The energy saved from recycling one
aluminium can will
operate a computer for three hours.
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GREEN TIP: Have a Green New Year on the Net
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SEND AN E-GREETING
Seven billion greeting cards are sold each year. Reduce
the number of trees lost to this industry by sending
electronic greeting cards for appropriate occasions.
There are several websites from which you can send free,
personalized greetings to anyone with an email address.
When buying paper greeting cards, look for those produced
with the highest content of post-consumer fiber. This
information will be printed on the back of the card.
SHOP ONLINE
You can save energy and protect land by shopping online
this holiday season. According to The Center for Energy
& Climate Solutions, internet shopping saves energy. The
transportation energy used to ship items from a warehouse
to you is less than the combined energy used to ship to
retailers and to get us around town in our cars. Internet
shopping also reduces land development for retail stores
and parking lots.
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Recommended
Resources
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Thanks for reading
this issue.
For more resources
and information on sustainable living,