The Action Group on Erosion, Technology, and Concentration (ETC), is an international organization dedicated to "the conservation and

sustainable Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...

advancement of cultural and

ecological diversity Ecosystem diversity deals with the variations in ecosystems within a geographical location and its overall impact on human existence and the environment. Ecosystem diversity addresses the combined characteristics of biotic properties (biodiver ...

and

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

." 'ETC' is intended to be pronounced "et cetera." ETC often publishes opinions on scientific research by its staff and board members in topics including community and regional planning, ecology and evolutionary biology, and political science.

History

The ETC Group was known as RAFI (Rural Advancement Foundation International) until 1 September 2001, and its history runs back to the National Sharecroppers Fund that was established in the 1930s by

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

(among others) to alleviate the plight of the poor, mostly black tenant farmers in the U.S. In the early 1970s,

Pat Mooney Pat Roy Mooney, for more than thirty years, has worked with civil society organizations on international trade and development issues related to agriculture, biodiversity and emerging technologies. He was born and lived on the Canadian prairies f ...

, Hope Shand, and Cary Fowler began working on the Seeds Issue through the Rural Advancement Foundation—and, in time, set up an international arm concerned with the rights of farmers in the global south. RAFI pioneered

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.seed monopoly laws, and opposes the adoption of

genetic engineering Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including t ...

in agriculture, patents on life and,

biopiracy Biopiracy (also known as scientific colonialism) is defined as the unauthorized appropriation of knowledge and genetic resources of farming and indigenous communities by individuals or institutions seeking exclusive monopoly control through patent ...

(a term that RAFI coined) and new life science technologies such as terminator technology, genomic technologies, and

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...

. RAFI played a key role in pushing for and shaping UN recognition of farmers' rights and the

International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (also known as ITPGRFA, International Seed Treaty or Plant Treaty), is a comprehensive international agreement in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity, ...

. Advised to change their name in order to secure nonprofit status in the United States, RAFI launched a name change contest on their website in early 2001. After consulting hundreds of suggestions the organization decided upon ETC Group (etcetera).

Geoengineering

The organization has taken a public

campaign Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed *Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme * Bl ...

ing stance against geoengineering, including a campaign called "Hands off Mother Earth!", which was launched in April 2010. In October 2010 a comprehensive report titled "Geopiracy - The Case Against Geoengineering" was published, covering proposed technologies, governance discussions, geoengineering key players and the roles and interests of military and, corporations. Diana Bronson of the ETC Group stated

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

was caused by "the scientific, corporate and political establishment of

developed countries A developed country (or industrialized country, high-income country, more economically developed country (MEDC), advanced country) is a sovereign state that has a high quality of life, developed economy and advanced technological infrastruct ...

", and to now think those same people will correct the

climate crisis ''Climate crisis'' is a term describing global warming and climate change, and their impacts. The term and the alternative term ''climate emergency'' have been used to describe the threat of global warming to humanity (and their planet), and to u ...

and the

biosphere The biosphere (from Greek βίος ''bíos'' "life" and σφαῖρα ''sphaira'' "sphere"), also known as the ecosphere (from Greek οἶκος ''oîkos'' "environment" and σφαῖρα), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be ...

is naive.

Synthetic biology

The ETC group publicly campaigns for increased regulation in the emerging scientific field of

synthetic biology Synthetic biology (SynBio) is a multidisciplinary area of research that seeks to create new biological parts, devices, and systems, or to redesign systems that are already found in nature. It is a branch of science that encompasses a broad ran ...

, which they refer to as "extreme genetic engineering". The group's major areas of concern surrounding this field include corporate involvement and potential threats to

biosafety Biosafety is the prevention of large-scale loss of biological integrity, focusing both on ecology and human health. These prevention mechanisms include conduction of regular reviews of the biosafety in laboratory settings, as well as strict guidel ...

and

biosecurity Biosecurity refers to measures aimed at preventing the introduction and/or spread of harmful organisms (e.g. viruses, bacteria, etc.) to animals and plants in order to minimize the risk of transmission of infectious disease. In agriculture, thes ...

. In an effort to inform opinion about synthetic biology, the ETC Group has released several comic-style illustrations regarding "Synthia", the cell with the first synthetic genome created by

Craig Venter John Craig Venter (born October 14, 1946) is an American biotechnologist and businessman. He is known for leading one of the first draft sequences of the human genome and assembled the first team to transfect a cell with a synthetic chromosome. ...

and the J. Craig Venter Institute. The illustration titled "The Story of Synthia" has also been adapted into a short video that can be viewed on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. On December 16, 2010, the

Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (the Bioethics Commission) was created by on November 24, 2009.Executive Order 13521 - ''Establishing the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues'', November 2 ...

released a report that recommended self-regulation by synthetic biologists, stating that the infant technology posed few risks to society. This decision was strongly opposed by Jim Thomas of the ETC Group, who referred to the recommendations by the commission as "disappointingly empty and timid". The ETC group joined a group of over 50 environmental groups calling for a moratorium on synthetic biology in a letter to government officials that referred to the results of the commission as "irresponsible and dangerous" and stated that "self-regulation amounts to no regulation". On January 23, 2012,

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of Californi ...

's Richmond Field Station was chosen for the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab's second campus. In a news conference meant to address the concerns surrounding synthetic biology at the local, national, and international levels, five panelists including Jim Thomas of ETC Group, spoke on the risks associated with synthetic biology. The panel refers to the laboratory's association with UC Berkeley as a "shiny veneer" for a poorly regulated industry with dangerous consequences, and Thomas referred to the "1.6 billion dollar industry" as "genetic engineering on steroids".

References

External links

ETC group - Action Group on Erosion, Technology, and Concentration

The ETC Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Etc Group Appropriate technology organizations Environmental justice organizations Environmental organizations based in the United States Climate change organizations based in the United States Climate engineering Planetary engineering Synthetic biology Organizations established in the 1930s 1930s establishments in the United States Year of establishment missing

History

Geoengineering

Synthetic biology

See also

References

External links