Silent Forest is a documentary about proposed deployment of genetically modified trees into forests. The documentary makes a warning that the pollen from these trees will intermingle with the pollen from other trees and dangers will result. Maybe this is fearism speaking but there are principles involved here which are being violated. The forests do provide a vital benefit to all the species of the world, because to a large extent the forests are the lungs of the earth. Without plant life converting carbon dioxide back to oxygen, we'd all be suffocating to death.
The principal at play is the Precautionary Principle. Rather than willy nilly coming up with new technologies and putting them into use without pondering long term consequences, the Precautionary Principle would have us ponder and study for awhile. Time has shown zillions of occasions where a new technology had bad side effects which weren't apparent at the outset.
Our society as a rule doesn't follow the Precautionary Principle. I imagine that Big Business wouldn't be too keen on the Precautionary Principle being routinely used. They're anxious enough over government regulation and meddling and they've built a whole cheering chorus to voice complaints about the supposed interference from government.
Silent Forest .. five parts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5rHZE9H7OA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlId3rji5zw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am5Mc_MPPc0
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