> writing from his climate controlled room surrounded by concrete for miles in any direction.
What does this have to do with genetic engineering?
I'm not worried about killer moths, obviously. But as we've seen in the past, eradicating a species can have surprising effects on the whole ecosystem. Take the extermination of wolves in the Yellowstone park for example: https://www.yellowstonepark.com/things-to-do/wolf-reintroduc...
Getting rid of the moths is only a patch on a deeper problem. Like every patch, it's only going to move the problem, and possibly create others.
The issue with GE is that we're not merely talking about concrete. Concrete doesn't move, doesn't reproduce. Living beings do so, and sometimes a lot faster than we expect.
There's already so many changes going on at the moment with climate change. Insect populations are changing, birds migrate, crustaceans' shells dissolve in the ocean. There's no telling the consequences of GE for anything. And once it starts to be a mess, there's very little we can do to control it.
What does this have to do with genetic engineering?
I'm not worried about killer moths, obviously. But as we've seen in the past, eradicating a species can have surprising effects on the whole ecosystem. Take the extermination of wolves in the Yellowstone park for example: https://www.yellowstonepark.com/things-to-do/wolf-reintroduc...
Getting rid of the moths is only a patch on a deeper problem. Like every patch, it's only going to move the problem, and possibly create others.
The issue with GE is that we're not merely talking about concrete. Concrete doesn't move, doesn't reproduce. Living beings do so, and sometimes a lot faster than we expect.
There's already so many changes going on at the moment with climate change. Insect populations are changing, birds migrate, crustaceans' shells dissolve in the ocean. There's no telling the consequences of GE for anything. And once it starts to be a mess, there's very little we can do to control it.