I’m in Brussels this week for some crucial votes in the European Parliament, one of which will take place tomorrow. Commissioners will vote on an application for two new GM crops to be grown throughout the EU and in a letter to UK Commissioner Mandelson, I urged him to reject it. There simply isn’t enough evidence to prove that GMOs are either safe or sustainable, and until there is, I do not think it is right to force EU countries to cultivate GM crops, espcially when so many EU citizens and governments have expressed concerns over the negative effects that such crops may have on people, animals and land.
Also today, I recorded a vox pop in the Parliament in which I talked about the inherent links between the Green movement and the Left. I emphasised the importance of creating ways to link policies for social justice and wealth distribution with policies to create a more sustainable and healthy environment. Look at climate change as an example - climate change is not simply an environmental question, it is the biggest challenge facing future populations. The poor are suffering, and will continue to suffer, the worst effects of climate change and environmental degradation, and we need clear policy frameworks which adequately address this link.
