Mark Lynas’ activism ended when he threw a cream pie in anti-environmentalist Bjørn Lomborg’s face, yelling, “pies for lies.”
The 2001 dessert-themed assault of the Danish author — in retribution for his rejection of climate change — was the most dramatic act of Lynas’ activist career but not the first.
Lynas, who is credited as the father of the United Kingdom’s anti-GMO movement, spoke to a room full of UF professors and students at the Health Professions, Nursing and Pharmacy Building Auditorium on Thursday night.
He talked about how, after further research on climate change, he found out he was wrong about genetically modified organisms, the source for genetically modified food.
Lynas originally believed GMOs were created by big companies and posed a health threat to people and the planet. He discovered that the same scientific research showing how the Earth’s climate has warmed over the years held the same accuracy when applied to GMOs.
“I was discovering scientific disciplines I couldn’t even pronounce,” Lynas said.
Now the man that started the anti-GMO movement in the ‘90s has worked to fix his mistake, over the past decade.
Fears of GMOs tend to be culturally specific, he said. In the UK, it’s believed GMOs will cause cancer, while in the U.S., it’s believed GMOs will cause autism in children, he added.
Victoria Turbyfill, 21, said she learned more about GMOs and felt Lynas’ presentation was informative.
“I think he has the most modern and up-to-date knowledge on GMO stability,” the UF plant genetics senior said.
Lynas continues his GMO crusade at Cornell University’s program, Alliance for Science, which is committed to agricultural sciences and biotechnology in developing countries.
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 1/9/2015 under the headline “Anti-GMO activist had change of heart, gives talk at UF"]
Mark Lynas, an author, environmental activist and visiting fellow at Cornell University, gives his presentation, “GMOs are Green: How an Environmentalist Changed His Mind on Biotechnology” to students in the Health Professions, Nursing and Pharmacy Auditorium on Thursday, Jan. 8.
