Its probably safe to say that former eco-warrior, Mark Lynas, who spoke Thursday morning at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in Creve Coeur, has given some environmentalists and activists a case of whiplash.

Lynas, an outspoken British environmental activist and author of three books, had been at the forefront of the anti-GMO (genetically modified organisms) movement. He had pulled up fields of Monsantos genetically engineered crops during nighttime raids, staged media-savvy protests outside the companys offices and penned articles about the evils of genetic engineering.

So when Lynas, in January, told a group gathered at a farming conference in England that he believed his stance had been wrong, there was some shock.

For the record, here and upfront, I apologize for having spent several years ripping up GM crops, he told the crowd. Im also sorry that I helped to start the anti-GM movement back in the 1990s, and that I thereby assisted in demonizing an important technological option which can be used to benefit the environment.

The mea culpa ricocheted through the blogosphere and made Lynas a lightning rod in the already charged debate over GM crops.

His about-face also makes him a perfect fit for the Danforth center because he represents the very attitude shift it would like to see. Indeed, the center paid for his speech Thursday, which was part of the ongoing Seeds of Change lecture series. The nonprofit research center, with links to Monsanto across the street, is working to develop disease- and virus-resistant crops intended to help small-scale farmers in Africa and Asia, where some governments have resisted the technology. (The center was built with contributions from Monsanto, and Monsantos CEO is on the board.)

In the case of Mark Lynas, hes taken a very interesting and positive position on the usage of technology for plant improvement, and its a turnabout from past views, said Paul Anderson, the centers executive director of international programs. And it came about from a better understanding of science and how it works. Once he gained that, he gained new perspective.

So how did Lynas go from quasi-criminal activist who rode around in vans at night sabotaging fields to poster boy for the genetic-engineering-can-save-the-world camp?

Lynas said he was researching a book about climate change, and a non-scientist himself learned the value of peer review, how to wade through statistics and to understand the basics in a disparate range of climate-related fields. In the process, he said, he came across anti-science climate change doubters whom he attempted to convince of the necessary rigors of science.

Then he realized, he says, even as he was writing anti-GMO pieces for British newspapers, that he wasnt applying those same rigors to his own thinking about genetic engineering.

Link:
Former anti-GMO crusader speaks at Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

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