8th April 2008

The STOP GE Trees Campaign is building and will be going to the United Nations in May to demand a ban on the release of GE trees into the environment.

More at: <http://www.globaljusticeecology.org/stopgetrees.php> 

Philip Booth, a spokesperson for Stroud District Green party said: "The timber industry has joined forces with the oil industry and the biotechnology industry to rapidly advance their work to commercialize GE trees for pulp and paper as well as agrofuels. They plan to develop huge plantations of genetically engineered trees with traits such as reduced lignin and insect resistance. GE tree plantations will have catastrophic implications for forests, forest-dependent peoples and wildlife."

Philip Booth added: "The agrofuels boom is driving this rapid advancement of GE tree technology. GE tree-based agrofuels are being promoted as the answer to climate change, though use of GE trees for agrofuels will damage forests and their ability to store carbon, accelerate deforestation around the world and lead to more and larger monoculture tree plantations.  All of these will worsen climate change."