The 2030 Spike

CHAPTER 9

IN THE GENES: NEWPLANTS – AND PEOPLE?

While the long-term promise of genetic engineering is considerable, the decades until 2030 are likely to present more problems than solutions. Forewarning people of a genetic predisposition to illness has been possible for some years, and will become more common. Finding and developing reliable genetically engineered cures is likely to take several decades. Genetic engineering of plants may provide more food in the developing world, but concerns remain about its consequences in the long term. After much discussion, UNESCO produced a Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights which was endorsed by the United Nations in 1999, but support for it in many countries is conditional at ...