A plan to release over 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes into the Florida Keys in 2021 and 2022 has received final approval from local authorities, against the objection of many local residents and a coalition of environmental advocacy groups.
The proposal had already won state and federal approval. Jaydee Hanson, policy director for the International Center for Technology Assessment and Center for Food Safety, said in a statement: "With all the urgent crises facing our nation and the State of Florida - the Covid-19 pandemic, racial injustice, climate change - the administration has used tax dollars and government resources for a Jurassic Park experiment. Now the Monroe County Mosquito Control District has given the final permission needed. What could possibly go wrong? We don't know, because EPA unlawfully refused to seriously analyze environmental risks, now without further review of the risks, the experiment can proceed." Might just be me, but someone needs to turn on TNT or TBS and see the movie next time it’s on again.
The genetically modified mosquitoes are part of a test to see if they can be a viable alternative to spraying insecticides. The mosquito has been altered to produce female offspring that die in the larval stage. That's well before hatching and growing large enough to bite and spread disease. Only the female mosquito bites for blood, which she needs to mature her eggs. That sounds awfully familiar…
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