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It's very naive/irresponsible to imply that anyone who would be concerned about massive ecosystem impacts doesn't care about malaria victims. Even the researche
by davemp 8y ago
It's very naive/irresponsible to imply that anyone who would be concerned about massive ecosystem impacts doesn't care about malaria victims. Even the researchers are hesitant.
> The scientists acknowledge the technology raises serious concerns. So it will require broad political debate, rigorous regulation and the consent of people living in any areas where they might be released, they say.
- danieltillett 8y agoPut that in your letter - "So sorry your child had to die, but I care about the mosquito that killed your child more." The point I was making is that these academic debates about ecosystems are at the expense of the lives of millions children.
- shittyadmin 8y agoThis sort of emotional argument with no thought given to side effects has no place in rational discussion.
- danieltillett 8y agoActually they do if they cause the opposing side to justify the cost of not acting. Everything new has possible unintended consequences or side effects. Do you oppose everything new because of what might happen?
- racingmars 8y ago> The point I was making is that these academic debates about ecosystems are at the expense of the lives of millions children. The debate isn't so academic if it turns out the ecosystem impact of the thing you did to try to save millions of children ends up harming a different set of millions of children. To think we understand nature well enough to guarantee that won't happen is naive. There should absolutely be a high burden on those proposing this sort of thing, and suggesting so doesn't, in any way, imply a lack of sympathy for those who are currently suffering. But when you start talking about large-scale, population-level effect projects like this, you have to look at the greater good and not individual situations.
- danieltillett 8y agoIt is response like yours that make me so angry. Your argument applied to everything new - let's not do it because we don't understand all the potential consequences. The irony is we know exactly what the consequences are in this case because we have already done the experiement of removing the malaria carrying mosquitos from various ecosystems and we discovered it has no effect other than people stopped dying of malaria. Everyone opposed to getting rid of these Mosquitos has the blood of millions of children on their hands.