Politics & Globalization

The Trump administration is preparing to significantly limit the scientific and medical research that the government can use to determine public health regulations, overriding protests from scientists and physicians who say the new rule would undermine the scientific underpinnings of government policymaking.

We were just taking pictures. Of the ash, stray bricks, and weeds. Of twisted metal and charred patio furniture. Of the pine trees still standing on the edge of the lots, their towering trunks now charcoal black. Of the lonely white brick fireplace in the middle of it all, the only surviving structure, metal pokers hanging expectantly by the grate.

While the article below focuses on Boris Johnson's plan to scrap workers' rights post-Brexit, it's clear that his proposed deal would also make a bonfire of the EU's environmental and food safety rules.  That in turn would result in the UK's losing the EU regulatory framework for GMOs. The result would be no – or minimal – safety assessments for GM foods and seeds and no GMO labelling, in line with Trump's wishes.

It is tempting to think of the present moment as a crossroads: we either get our Green New Deal, or we descend into eco-fascism. But the fallout from the last recession suggests that—if we do not articulate a shared demand—we might just as easily get a slightly reconfigured version of the status quo: a little more green around the edges, sure, but with roughly the same distribution of power and resources. Such a plan is already under way in Europe, where the European commission now calls for a “green deal” with none of the transformative content of the Green New Deal agenda.