-Caveat Lector-
This is one company that is very RIPE for corporate death.
REVOKE! Monsanto's corporate charter.
Dave Hartley
http://www.Asheville-Computer.com
http://www.ioa.com/~davehart
INDEPENDENT (London) September 26
By Geoffrey Lean
MONSANTO, the genetically modified food giant, drew up plans to make
billions of dollars out of the world's water crisis, confidential company
documents reveal. The documents, seen by the Independent on Sunday,
identify a "vast economic opportunity" for the company in impending global
shortages of resources such as water.
They outline a strategy to use "environmental issues" to "deliver strong
financial returns" and create "a compelling possible future for Monsanto -
financially, strategically and aspirationally."
The revelation of the strategy - drawn up in connection with recently
dropped plans to establish water businesses in India and Mexico - follows
the publication 10 days ago of a report on the growing global
environmental crisis by the United Nations Environment Programme.
The GEO 2000 report identifies impending water shortage as the world's
greatest environmental problem after global warming. It says that over
one-third of the world's people already live in countries suffering "water
stress" and that, on present trends, two-thirds will do so by the year
2025. It adds: "The declining state of the world's freshwater resources
may prove to be the dominant issue on the environment and development
agenda of the coming century."
The confidential Monsanto document - a "sustainable development sector
strategy" and a "water business plan" use the same statistics and take up
the same theme. The business plan adds that two billion people worldwide
"still lack reasonable access to safe water" and says that this is likely
to rise to 2.5 billion over the next decade.
The document, like much of Monsanto's material on genetically modified
foods, is written in idealistic language. The strategy paper says that one
of its aims, as well as strengthening Monsanto, is "to help solve some of
the world's major environmental issues and to improve quality of life in
the process". It concludes: "We at Monsanto have been given the rare
opportunity to enjoy the wealth of spirit that comes from doing the right
thing while we are doing business."
But the documents display a sharp sense of the gains for Monsanto, both
now and in the future: "Initial entry into the water business will create
US$400m in annual revenues . furthermore, extension of the water platform
beyond the safe and healthy water business has the potential to create
several billion dollars in annual revenue."
It adds that there would be "other strategic benefits", including
"reshaping Monsanto's image as a more sustainable and environmentally
positive company".
It goes on: "Population growth and economic development will apply
increasing pressure on natural resource markets. Those pressures, and the
world's desire to prevent the consequences of those pressures if unabated,
will create vast economic opportunity."
Yesterday Dr Vandana Shiva, director of the Research Foundation for
Science, Technology and Ecology in New Delhi, India, said: "Monsanto is
seeking a new business opportunity because of the emerging water crisis.
Since water is as central to food production as seed, and without water
life is not possible, Monsanto is now trying to establish its control over
it . [as] a source of guaranteed profits. Privatisation and
commodification of water are a threat to the right to life."
A Monsanto spokesman confirmed that the company had made plans to exploit
the world water situation but had decided several months ago not to
proceed. "We do not like to talk too much about plans that were never
completed," he said. But he did not rule out that the company might return
to them in the future.
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