Please find below an invitation to a Press Briefing to be held in London
next Tuesday, May 27, on Nanotechnology - The state of the technology
and its implications for policy makers, scientists and consumers. (Full
text follows this meassage in plain text format)
I very much hope you will be able to attend - or send someone else in
your stead if the short notice makes this impossible. Please get in
touch if we can provide further information or help in other way.
Kind regards,
Jim Thomas - European Programme Manager, ETC Group.
c/o The Ethical Property Company, 9 Park End Street, Oxford,
Oxfordshire, OX1 1HH,
Phone: +44 (0)1865 207818
Mobile:+44 (0)7752 106806
email: [log in to unmask]
Ben Duncan
Green MEPs' Press Officer
Suite 58, The Hop Exchange, 24 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TY
020 7407 6280 (tel)
0776 997 0691 (mob)
020 7234 0183 (fax)
[log in to unmask]
---------------
PRESS NOTICE
>From the office of the Green MEPs
21 May, 2003
MEDIA INVITATION: GETTING PAST 'GREY GOO'
- A PRESS BRIEFING ON NANOTECHNOLOGY
Event: Getting Past Grey Goo - A Press Briefing About
Nanotechnology
Time: Tuesday, May 27th, 2003, 10.30-11.30am
Place: UK Office of the European Parliament, Queen Anne's Gate,
London
WC1
Panel: Dr Caroline Lucas MEP
Pat Mooney - Executive Director ETC Group
Dr Vyvyan Howard - Senior toxicology lecturer, Univ. of
Liverpool (TBC)
Jim Thomas - ETC Group (UK)
EURO-MP Caroline Lucas and a civil society panel are to host a press
briefing on the future of nanotechnology at the London office of the
European Parliament next Tuesday, May 27th 2003.
Thanks to recent media interest in 'The Grey Goo problem' we've all now
heard of nanotechnology. Prince Charles is concerned about it. Science
Minister, Lord Sainsbury, doesn't see any problems with it. The
Astronomer Royal thinks it might annihilate the planet. Tony Blair
thinks it's the future of British Science. A cabinet taskforce has
warned the Government it needs to regulate the technology. Lord
Sainsbury (again) disagrees - he says it doesn't need any special
regulations. A Nobel Prize winner for nanotech research has told the
Prince of Wales to 'stop reading silly books'. The former technology
advisor to Bill Clinton has called it 'evil'. So what's the real story?
On June 11 the European Parliament is to host the first ever
international seminar for policy-makers, scientists and industry to
discuss what the coming industrial revolution in nanotechnology could
really mean for society, environment and the future of democracy.
Three of the speakers for that event will be in London on Tuesday 27th
May to discuss the brewing storm over nanotechnology (see 'Charting the
Nano Debate', attached), clarify some of the key issues and answer
questions on the state of the technology and concerns over its
implications. You are welcome to join them for coffee - and to see some
of the nanotechnology products already commercially available.
Dr Lucas said: "The proponents of nanotech - mainly those biotech and
military businesses with most to gain from it - claim it will bring a
brave new world free from poverty, hunger and drudgery.
"The truth would be laughable if it wasn't so tragic: current nanotech
projects include transparent sunscreen, self-cleaning glass, ever-more
destructive weaponry and stain-resistant clothes.
"Where nanotechnology research is concerned with food it is concerned
not with distribution or affordability but 'efficiency gains' and
profitability - and will do nothing to alleviate hunger. Medical
research is concerned with 'lifestyle' afflictions of the wealthy, not
the epidemics killing millions in the developing world every year. The
reason is simple to grasp: neither the hungry nor the poor will ever be
able to pay for the billions already invested in nanotech research.
"Like GM before it, nanotech is about providing a highly profitable
"techno fix" for the problems of the affluent rather then addressing the
root causes of inequality, poverty, hunger or disease.
"What nanotech's enthusiasts are not telling us, however, are the grave
risks it poses to the environment, human health and consumer choice."
Expert Panel
Pat Mooney - Pat Mooney is Executive Director of ETC Group, a civil
society organization that currently leads international concerns about
Nanotechnology. They have called for a moratorium on Nanotech
development. In the early eighties it was ETC group (then known as RAFI,
the Rural Advancement Foundation International) who initiated civil
society concerns about GM food and farming, 'biopiracy' (the theft of
genetic resources from poorer countries) and patents on life. Later they
successfully forced Monsanto to drop controversial sterile seed
technologies (dubbed 'terminator
seeds' by RAFI). Author of several books on genetic resources, Mooney is
a past winner of the Right Livelihood Award (Alternative Nobel Prize) as
well as the Giraffe Award ('for people who stick their neck out') and
recent awards by Project Censored and the World Social Forum. Well known
as a rousing speaker, he was also lead author of ' The Big Down' - a
civil society report on Nanotechnology widely cited as responsible for
Prince Charles interest in the issue.
Dr Caroline Lucas - Green Party MEP for South-East England and the
Green/EFA group's spokesperson on nanotechnology. Dr Lucas is a member
of the European Parliament's Environment Committee and the Industry
Trade, reseacha nd Energy Committee and is an expert on EU policy on
Genetic Engineering. She served as vice-president of the European
Parliament's Committee of Inquiry into the UK's 2001 Foot and Mouth
Disease epidemic.
Dr Vyvyan Howard (University of Liverpool) is a well-respected
toxicologist and immediate past president of the Royal Microscopy
Society. He edited the first ever collection of scientific papers to
address the toxicity of nanoparticles and recently undertook an updated
literature survey into nanoparticle toxicity, which highlighted serious
risks associated with synthetic nanomaterials.
Jim Thomas is European Programme Manager for ETC group - based in
Oxford, UK. He is co-ordinating the upcoming European Seminar on
societal impacts of Nanotechnology to be held in the European Parliament
on June 11th. For more details see www.etcgroup.org
For more information please contact:
Ben Duncan on 020 7407 6280, 07973 823358 or [log in to unmask]
Jim Thomas ( ETC Group) 07752 106806 or [log in to unmask]
www.carolinelucasmep.org.uk
www.etcgroup.org
Charting the Nano debate
Dec 2002
- Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park, releases
hardback of 'Prey', - thriller about killer nanoparticles out of control
- in Christmas top 10 sellers list.
Jan 2003
- Red Herring, influential tech investment magazine
identifies "the Backlash against Nanotech" as one of its Top Ten Trends
for 2003.
- Civil Society Group ETC Group release The Big Down, -
First comprehensive critical report on nanotech from civil society
perspective - they call for a Moratorium on Nanotech.
Feb 2003
- UK based Journal of Nanotechnology carries warning from
Bioethicist Peter Singer that a dangerous gap is growing between ethics,
public concerns on nanotech and the researchers and nanotech industry.
- The Cabinet office better regulation task force report on
scientific research warns that the UK government urgently needs to show
it has regulation in place to deal with the safety issues associated
with nanotechnology. Editorial in Nature.
- US National Science Foundation increases annual funding
to Nanotech by 10% to around 850 million dollars per year at a time when
all other budgets are being cut. This makes nanotechnology best funded
technology since the space race.
- UK high street shops start selling stain resistant
nanotech trousers. (with Teflon nanoparticles)
March
- Some of first ever studies into synthetic nanoparticle
toxicity are presented at American Chemistry Society Annual Meeting
showing toxicity problems with carbon nanotubes.
- Royal Institution holds one day public seminar of 300
participants aimed at framing the coming debate on nanotechnology.
- Survey of existing literature on Nanoparticle Toxicity by
Dr Vyvyan Howard is published by ETC Group. Concludes that nanoparticles
as a class tend to be more toxic than larger particles irrespective of
material. Findings unchallenged.
April / May
- Astronomer Royal Sir Martin Rees releases book '50/50
chance' , in which he warns of total annihilation by nanotechnology as a
likely doomsday scenario by end of the century.
- The Ecologist runs special issue on nanotechnology -
contributions by civil society groups including Greenpeace, ETC group,
ITDG and others.
- Prince Charles is reported as having concerns about
nanotechnology, asking Royal Society to recommend expert meeting. Leads
to a spate of articles, discussions, headlines on 'Grey Goo'. Prince
Charles attacked by Science establishment (eg Aaron Klug, Harry Kroto,
Ian Gibson)
- Science minister Lord Sainsbury defends nanotechnology on
Today Programme claiming the technology raises no important issues in
the short term and is already properly regulated.
- Ian Gibson MP announces that The Commons Science and
Technology Committee will look into nanotechnology issues.
Upcoming:
- UK Government to respond to better regulation task force.
- Greenpeace to release report prepared by Imperial
College, surveying current work on Nanotechnology and thereby entering
into the debate.
- European Seminar on societal implications of
nanotechnology to be held in European Parliament Brussels sponsored by
cross-party group of MEP's and involving civil society, press and
policymakers from across Europe (inc UK) with view to initiating
regulations (June 11)
- US department of Agriculture to release report on their
plans\ for Agri nanotech in advance of WTO preparation meeting on
Agriculture in Sacramento.
- World Nano Economic Congress to be held in London (Nov
3-5).
- Towards end of year - book on dangers of nanotechnology
by Bill Joy, Founder of Sun Microsystems (former technology advisor to
Bill Clinton).
- End of 2003/ early 2004- opening of Movie based on
Crichton' "Prey".
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