The Nation Newspaper

Tag: GM

  • GM promises hands-free Cadillac by 2016

    General Motors (GM) has announced that by 2016, some of its Cadillacs will incorporate self-driving functions.

    Vehicle-to-vehicle communication and a cruise function will be fitted in different top-of-the-range GM models.

    It will be the first time that automated technology is made available at higher speeds.

    The 2017 Cadillac CTS sedan, which will go on sale in 2016, will have the necessary transmitters and receivers fitted as standard.

    The equipment will let it know the location and speed of other vehicles, as long as they are also fitted with the technology.

    A different model, as yet undisclosed, will offer a “Super Cruise” function, which keeps the vehicle in the centre of the lane, maintains speeds on the motorway and controls braking.

    That could mean keeping to the speed limit, but would also allow the car to take control in stop-go traffic jams.

    “If the mood strikes you on the high-speed road from Barstow, California to Las Vegas, you can take a break from the wheel and pedals and let the car do the work,” said GM’s chief executive, Mary Barra.

    Automated driving is expected to ease congestion and reduce accidents, though drivers will still be expected to pay full attention to the road, rather than shifting their focus to reading the paper or applying make-up.

    GM said it was also working on a system to monitor drivers to ensure they are paying adequate attention.

    “I’m convinced customers will embrace (vehicle-to-vehicle) and automated driving technologies for one simple reason: they are the answer to everyday problems that people want solved,” said Ms Barra.

  • GM foods?

    GM foods?

    •A matter to be examined for any commitment

    A protest march by various civil society groups, which culminated in the submission of a petition to the office of the Lagos State governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, highlighted the reality of public resistance to Genetically Modified (GM) foods and the Federal Government’s reported plan to introduce GM seeds in the country’s agricultural sector. It is a sad measure of the confusion over the alleged scheme that the agriculture minister, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, offered a denial, saying, “What we have in Nigeria is biotechnologically improved crops to raise yields for farmers and not genetically modified crops as being speculated.” Nigerians would, no doubt, be interested in knowing the difference, if any.

    The arrowhead of the opposition, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) and   Nigerians Against GMO (NAG), inspired about 200 protesters with the objective of creating awareness of alleged negatives of the scientific development, especially the perceived harmful health implications. It is instructive that these antagonists of Genetic Modification, also known as GMO, said in their petition to the political authorities, “Nigeria is blessed with fertile land. In today’s world, GMO seeds and produce are being banned in France, Japan, Russia and most of the European Union countries due to the adverse effects scientific research has shown they have on humans and animals as well as the soil. The introduction of this in Nigeria is unacceptable.”

    Moreover, NAG leader Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour provided enlightening elaboration, and was quoted as saying, “These things (GMO) have been linked to cancer by independent researchers; it has been linked to organ failure, sterility and these are diseases we are starting to see among our people.” According to him, “With the way research is done in the world, big companies are only interested in profits and not doing research to know what happens to the human body and effects these products do have.”

    Against this background, the anti-GMO campaign has a commendable social concern value that should not be overlooked.  However, it is worth noting that GMO, which dates back to the 1980s, basically involves gene mutations to get desirable qualities from crops and developed from the need to produce more food, more cheaply, even if inorganically,  on limited arable land for a burgeoning world population that is now over seven billion. In this sense, it can, paradoxically, also be considered as socially valuable.

    It would appear, therefore, that the issue transcends emotionalism, and should be seen from a holistic or all encompassing view, which is about the fact that all angles matter, including the advantages  and disadvantages. It is worth mentioning that the American Association for the Advancement of Science said in a 2012 statement, “Indeed, the science is quite clear: crop improvement by the modern molecular techniques of biotechnology is safe.” To go by statistics, GMO farming seems to be gaining increasing acceptance across the world: In 2012, about 17.3 million farmers grew GM crops in 28 countries, and 20 developing countries accounted for 52 percent of the total GM harvest that year. More relevant to Nigeria is the detail that about 16 African countries have adopted GMO farming for food security purposes.

    Nevertheless, it is reasonable to allow a margin for doubt, particularly because GMO research may be considered open-ended with the possibility that new findings could substantially alter the picture of unqualified safety, which is not to say that GMO could eventually prove to be more dangerous than useful. More and more research is the key.

    More importantly, beyond the merits and demerits of GMO, the central administration and the state governments need to seriously address the real problems in the country’s agricultural sector, particularly mechanisation, storage and transportation issues that have been identified as counter-productive to achieving food security.

  • Don warns against commercial production of GM food

    Don warns against commercial production of GM food

    The President, Save Food and Feed Foundation, Prof Stephen Fapohunda, has urged the Federal Government not to support the commercial production of genetically modified (GM) staple food.

    Fapohunda warned that support  for modern breeding techniques, GM crop imports and commercial seeds, means that many local varieties are under threat, adding that one of the main concerns about GM crops is that they may produce new allergens. Consequently, there is a need for allergy testing to be done on all GM crops.

    He  said there are no surveillance systems set up to determine the effects of GM foods on health, and no one is paid to look for problems. He advocated the labelling of food containing ingredients which are the products of genetic engineering.

    He maintained that there was consumer resistance to consuming GM foods and hence the demand for their proper labelling.

    According to him, the labelling system should be improved to the standards desired by consumers, so that they can easily identify foods containing ingredients originating from GM animals and plants, and from animals fed GM feed.

    Stressing proper policing of the labelling laws by health departments, the expert called for a comprehensive monitoring and surveillance to track the effects of GM foods.

     

    Experts have urged that a precautionary principle should be applied in developing GM food, adding that it is not certain whether there are serious risks to the environment or to human health involved in producing or consuming GM foods or their products.

    Country Manager, Harvest Plus, Dr Paul Ilona, said assessments of the effects of GM foods on health, agronomy and the environment should be based on thorough, independent experimental evidence rather than assumption.

    According to him, while the methods used to insert genes into plants could disrupt the functioning of the plant, resulting in changed production of existing substances, there was insufficient evidence that the foods were not safe for humans and the environment.

    He argued that gene technology has the potential of enhancing the quality, safety,  and nutrition of food and in increasing their efficiency.