Gene Escape Wild Roadside Canola Shows Herbicide Resistance
of GM Cousins
Across the United States, wild canola grows in asphalt cracks and along roadways; it’s been found that this weedy plant often survives herbicide applications. Scientists at the University of Ar- kansas recently discovered why: About 83 percent of the weedy canola they tested contained herbicide resistance genes from
genetically modified (GM), cultivated canola. Globally, canola can interbreed with 40 different weed species, 25 percent of which are found in the United States. The findings raise questions about the regulation of herbicide- and pesticide- resistant weeds and about how these plants might compete with others in the wild. Nature reports that GM crops have spread beyond cultivated land in several countries, including Canada, Japan, the UK and the United States.
Bioneer Heroes Spotlight Recognizes Activists Protecting
Our Coasts and Oceans
The Blue Frontier/Peter Benchley 2010 Hero of the Seas recognition was awarded to Cynthia Sarthou, executive director of the New Orleans-based Gulf Restoration Net- work (
HealthyGulf.org), a frontline group dealing with the environmental effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This year’s winner is just one of 2,000 groups and agencies working on behalf of ocean and coastline conservation. Blue Frontier’s mission is to strengthen and help unify this solution-oriented marine conservation community. “As the Gulf disaster shows, we are all dependent on the ocean for protection, security and sustenance,” remarks David Helvarg, president of the Blue Frontier Campaign (
BlueFront.org).
Guiding Light South Pole Ozone Hole
has Stabilized
Ongoing monitoring by the British Antarc- tic Survey, which alerted the world to the hole in the protective ozone layer over the South Pole in 1985, has concluded that the hole has now stabilized. Thin- ning of the ozone that surrounds the Earth provided the first clear evidence that man could damage the global environment on a colossal scale. “It also provided the first case of concerted international action to counteract such an effect,” says Richard Stolarski, a research scientist with NASA, who has reviewed the history and science related to the phenomenon. Scientists had discovered that the ac-
cumulation of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in industrial solvents, refrigeration, air conditioning systems and aerosols were depleting the blanket of ozone that surrounds the Earth. Action by United Na- tions governments around the world led to the 1987 Montreal Protocol, effectively phasing out use of such chemicals. Today, scientists predict that, with continued care, Antarctic ozone levels will return to their 1950s levels by about 2080.
natural awakenings
October 2010
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