At the request of the Netherlands Commission on Genetic Modification
(COGEM), an advisory commission for the Dutch Ministry for the Environment,
an internet based discussion has been opened on Global Change and
Biotechnology. You are invited to participate at
www.globalchange-discussion.org.
Sixteen experts in the fields of health, food, waste, climate change
and biotechnology have given their view on Global Change. We asked them what
are the most urgent problems in their field of expertise; what they felt the
solutions might be, and whether in their view there are any biotechnological
solutions. Their and your views will form the basis of advice to the Dutch
Minister of the Environment. The discussion closes on May 23rd.

On the discussion website you can find the views of:

a.. Birte Holst J?rgensen, Managing Director of Nordic Energy
Research in Denmark
b.. Susan Leschine, Professor in microbiology at the University of
Massachusetts in the USA
c.. Monkombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, UNESCO Chairman in
Ecotechnology at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in Chennai, India
and Chairman of the National Commission on Agriculture, Food and Nutrition
Security of India
d.. Joachim von Braun, Director General of the International Food
Policy Research Institute in WashingtonDC in the USA
e.. Marcel Tanner, Director of the Swiss Tropical Institute in Basel
in Switzerland
f.. Ian Gust, Professorial Fellow in the Department of Microbiology
and Immunology at the University of Melbourne in Australia
g.. Niels J?rn Hahn, President of the International Solid Waste
Association
h.. Fabio Fava, Professor of ?Industrial & Environmental
Biotechnology? at the University of Bologna in Italy

The views of eight more experts will be added in a few weeks.

In addition to the views of these experts we are also very interested
in the opinion of other stakeholders in the fields of food, waste, climate
change and biotechnology. We therefore invite you to visit the discussion
website at www.globalchange-discussion.org.

About COGEM
The Netherlands Commission on Genetic Modification (COGEM) advises the
government on the potential risks of genetic modification to human health
and the environment. The scope of COGEM covers all fields ranging from
agriculture to medicine and from contained use to deliberate release of
GMOs. Besides scientific advice on risk assessment, COGEM brings ethical and
social issues linked to genetic modification to the attention of the
ministers involved.

For further information, please visit www.cogem.net.