Cli-Fi thriller exerpt: The GMO Debate

GUT-CHECK GREEN, a climate thriller due this summer. PI Jake Knight goes undercover to track down environmental terrorists. Here's an excerpt from Chapter 32 on the GMO debate:

PI Jake Knight poured another cup of coffee and kept an eye on Brenda Winters’ Prius, via the map on his laptop tied into Hazard Security’s server. It hadn’t moved. He turned on the TV and flicked through CNN, FOX and MSNBC until he heard mention of Gut-Check Green (the name of the terrorist group).

FOX had assembled a panel in its Washington studios, with three environmentalists brought in by satellite feed. The moderator was a taunt blond gal that quickly lost control of the discussion. The three in-studio executives represented Lasso, ConAgra and another agro-chemical manufacturer, but that’s not what held Jake’s interest. One of the environmentalists was Professor Daryl Lassiter, retired. Jake turned up the volume.

“What the general public doesn’t understand is how genetically modified crops help protect the world’s food supply. Blight-resistant potatoes are just one example. Right now, under strict scientific conditions, with safeguards, we’re working to incorporate defenses against plant diseases, which destroy fifteen percent of the world’s agricultural harvest every year,” the Lasso rep said.

The next panelist supported him. “Despite fungicides, late blight and other diseases ruin about twenty percent of the world’s potato crop. Stem rust destroys twenty percent of the wheat crop every year. Bananas, a primary source of food in Africa, are often destroyed by wilt disease. In all these cases, genetic engineering has the potential to create new varieties far better able to withstand the onslaught,” he said.

“We’ve been doing this since the 1990s” the Lasso rep added.

“Safely and with great scientific advancement. Transgenic corn, soybeans, and cotton have been engineered to resist insects and herbicides. The corn and soybean crops go mainly into animal feed, biofuels, and cooking oils,” the third panelist said.

“And that, gentlemen, is where the environmental community wants you to draw the line,” Lassiter said from his remote location. “No genetically modified varieties of rice, wheat, or potatoes are widely grown, because opposition to such foods has discouraged investment in developing them and because seed companies haven’t found ways to make a profit on those crops, like they do with genetically modified corn and soybeans.”

Tanya (Jake's love interest), awake from her nap, walked into the living room and snuggled next to Jake. She wrapped up in a quilt and kissed him. “That’s why I’m sticking to organics, locally grown.” she said.

“It’s just information,” Jake said, “but this guy Lassiter is of interest.”

“Cop killer?” Tanya asked.

“No. but maybe the money guy or the big thinker behind them,” Jake said.

“He is smart,” Tanya said.

“Smart and dying with liver cancer,” Jake said.

The Lasso panelist continued. “With a global population expected to reach nine billion by 2050, the world needs help feeding people. We’ve dramatically improved agricultural productivity over the last fifty years, but improvements are tapering off while food demand, larger populations and wealthier shoppers want more. Demand will rise fifty percent in the next forty years. Lasso will be there for them.”

“Either we increase yields or we have to use significantly more land, fertilizer, and water,” another of the corporate reps said.

”Climate change is a factor too,” the blond moderator added.

“It certainly is,” the Lasso rep said. “It makes the problem worse. Higher temperatures and wetter conditions spread infestations. Drought, storms and hot days already take a toll on crop yields and it’s only going to get worse. For farmers, the weather has become far more unpredictable, and extreme weather has become far more common.”

“Well, that’s a start. It’s nice to hear FOX admit climate change exists,” Lassiter said.

“We didn’t say that,” the blond moderator said. She looked stricken.

“No, but all three of us on this panel are concerned about extreme weather events on long-term food productivity,” the Lasso rep said.

“That’s why GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) are a necessity. It takes fifteen years of conventional breeding to make a new potato, but we can do it in the lab in six months,” another panelist said. “It’s an overwhelmingly logical thing to do. The upcoming food pressure on poor countries means we must use this as a tool.”

Lassiter jumped at that. “Time to tell the truth, gentlemen. The commercialized genetic engineering of crops has been a technical failure. The scientific goals have not been met. Crops have been designed to withstand specific herbicides and produce pesticides within the plant tissues. But, and this is a very big but, GM crops invite super weeds that show more tolerance to herbicides and insects. Basically, GM seeds work for ten to twenty-five years, then Mother Nature evolves to end your advantage.”

None of the panelists responded. The moderator looked lost. Lassiter continued: “It’s simple. From a business perspective, GM crops are wildly successful. The global seed market is now run by an oligarchy of companies like you guys. And sales of associated herbicides, like Lasso, have skyrocketed during the roll-out of GM seed. So you and your shareholders are happy, you’re making money.

“But, from a safety standpoint, the genetic engineering of seeds remains unproven long-term. Your seeds are untested. And in your hurry to market, you threaten the world. You haven’t done enough studies. It’s easy to find farmers that experience problems with their livestock when they use your GM feeds. Truth be told, the GM seeds are not yet proven long-term safe prior to release for public use.” Lassiter looked thrilled with himself to make that point.

The FOX moderator went to commercial. Jake and Tanya waited through four minutes of commercials. They were not interested in Viagra, acid reflux, a Medicare subscription plan or a long-term life annuity. The moderator came back on and announced trouble with the video feed from Santa Barbara. Lassiter had disappeared.

The Lasso panelist made a summary statement. “When people are hungry or starving, they will not care if protein or fat was produced with GM genes. Additionally, climate change and human population growth, increasing by one billion every twelve years, will make GMO technology a certainty.”

“Care to refute that, Doctor Lassiter?” the moderator asked. She sounded smug.

Lassiter’s image appeared on the screen. “Genetics are a solution for many current problems and upcoming problems. But in my opinion, genetic engineering is the wrong approach. Here are other strategies to consider.

“One: Focus agriculture on crop synergies, crops that can be grown together and support each other. Beans and corn together, for example. Nature avoids single crops. Monocropping creates unhealthy, abnormal systems.

“Two: Move agriculture away from reliance on grains. Fruits and vegetables offer more to livestock and humans than grains. Unfortunately, our farmers have perfected the growth, handling and processing of grains, so grains dominate our agricultural systems.

“Three: Use natural husbandry instead of genetic modification. It may take longer, but it’s safer. And world food supply is at risk. Look at apple production,” Lassiter said.

FOX displayed a black-and-white illustration of a Jonny Appleseed character with an apple orchard behind him. Lassiter continued: “By ramping up genetic selection, we can find great apple genetics that are resistant to disease, resistant to insect pressure, great to eat and superior for storage. This is exactly what Johnny Appleseed did by planting apple trees from seeds.”

The moderator interrupted. “We have to take a break, professor. We’ll come right back to you on Mom and apple pie,” she said. The lights went dark on the studio panel and Jake and Tanya sat through another four minutes of commercials.

The discussion continued with cut-aways to the panelists. “Too expensive,” one said. “Takes too long and there’s no money in it,” another said. “People want to eat more than apples,” another said. “They want grain-fed red meat.” He looked like he hadn’t pushed away from the dessert table in years.

FOX cut back to Lassiter in mid sentence, “It involves time and labor. And in the process, we achieve far superior foods that require no sprays, fewer cancer-causing agents and lower overall long-term production costs. As for the rest of it, that calls for population control, not GMOs,” Lassiter said. "Maybe you should package your GMO seeds in condoms." He looked tired.

“Thank you for your contrarian opinion, Professor,” the moderator said.

“Unscientific,” the Lasso rep said.

“Unsubstantiated personal opinion, not backed by science,” another panelist said.

“Apple pie in the sky,” the third panelist said. The moderator laughed at that. “Final comments, Professor?” the moderator asked.

“We’re suffering a rapid increase in Celiac disease from life-long wheat consumption. My point is that what you eat has consequences and some of it is not well understood. Messing with our food supply has unknown downsides that may not be clear until after its done major damage. There is no good reason to introduce GM foods to the world other than capitalistic greed,” Lassiter concluded. He looked pale and sipped from a glass of water.

“And you’ve traded in Lasso stock, Professor?” the Lasso representative asked.

“Yes, I have, short term,” Lassiter said.

“Well, there you have it. Agro-business is thriving. It’s the hope for the future, and even the nay-saying environmentalists are profiting. This is Candy Maven, for FOX News.” The moderator signed off. Jake turned off the TV.

“Eat more vegetables,” Tanya said. “I think I want to plant a garden.”

“Eat more Sonoma grass-fed sheep cheese,” Jake said. “I wonder who Lassiter is going to short next.”

Note: This is a work of fiction.