In this episode we focus on genetic engineering, which is often presented as a necessity for climate-resilient agriculture.
Our guest, Dr. Angelika Hilbeck, takes us on a fascinating journey through the early stages of genetic engineering in agriculture, highlighting the flaws in the very essence of the approach – its reductionism of ecological relationships – which has not changed with CRISPR/Cas and new genomic engineering techniques. She explains how the promises of genetic engineering have been consistently exaggerated, and despite vast investments in the development of GM crops for agriculture, they have fallen short of expectations. She asks whether it is not only the considerable ecological risks of the technologies that make them a questionable bet for the future of agriculture, but the poor ratio of investment to results of the whole biotech endeavour.
Angelika Hilbeck is an agro-ecologist and entomologist with over 30 years experience in the study of genetically modified crops and their impact on the environment. She has done pioneering work on the ecology of GM crops and, more recently, alternative agro-ecological approaches in Eastern Africa. In 2024, she retired from 25 years of research and teaching at the Institute of Integrative Biology at ETH Zurich.
Listen to the episode on your favourite player.
For additional resources and a deeper exploration of Angelikas’s work and views, please visit:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Angelika-HilbeckFurther reading
- Chapela, I., Hilbeck, A. (2023). GMOs and Human and Environmental Safety. In: Valdés, E., Lecaros, J.A. (eds) Handbook of Bioethical Decisions. Volume I. Collaborative Bioethics, vol 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29451-8_39
- Hilbeck, A., Binimelis, R., Defarge, N. et al. (2015). No scientific consensus on GMO safety. Environ Sci Eur 27, 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-014-0034-1
- Hilbeck, A., Meier, M. & Trtikova, M. (2012). Underlying reasons of the controversy over adverse effects of Bt toxins on lady beetle and lacewing larvae. Environ Sci Eur 24, 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/2190-4715-24-9
- Antoniou, M.N., Robinson, C., Castro, I. & Hilbeck, A. (2023). Agricultural GMOs and their associated pesticides: misinformation, science, and evidence. Environ Sci Eur 35, 76, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-023-00787-4
- Heinemann, J. (2024): Let’s cut the crap on gene technology. The Spinoff. https://thespinoff.co.nz/science/29-08-2024/lets-cut-the-crap-on-gene-technology
- Longo, G. (2023). New Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): Towards a “scientific precautionary principle”. Organisms. Journal of Biological Sciences, 6(2), 77–81. https://doi.org/10.13133/2532-5876/18307
- Montenegro de Wit, M. (2023). Can agroecology and CRISPR mix? The politics of complementarity and moving toward technology sovereignty. Agric Hum Values 39, 733–755. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-021-10284-0
Beyond the Fix is brought to you by Critical Scientists Switzerland, an independent network of scientists. It is made possible by the Stiftung Mercator Schweiz and produced by Podcastschmiede. Host: Thomas Kobel. Music: Mich Gerber.