Are High-Tech Solutions the Answer to Climate Change?
• Many corporations, foundations and governments are promoting synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified (GM) organisms and hybrid plants and seeds as solutions to world hunger. • Yet, the overuse of fertilizers and chemicals is degrading the quality of soils and contaminating ecosystems globally, making it harder to grow enough food. • The claim that GM crops generate higher yields has been debunked. • GM crops disrupt farmers’ traditional practice of saving and trading seeds. Farmers who once bred seeds are turned into a captive market for biotech companies. • Finally, “high-tech” solutions do nothing to address the real causes of hunger, which are political and economic factors such as poverty, inequality and poor access to land, food and markets. Why are Smallholder Farmers Important for Climate Change Adaptation? • These farmers use far less energy and rely on methods that actually cool the planet by putting carbon back into the soil. • According to the UN Intergovernmental Pane
