Engineered Gene Drives: Ecological, Environmental, and Societal Concerns
Engineered Gene Drives: Ecological, Environmental, and Societal Concerns
Tags: Ethics, Gene drive synthetic, Governance, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Stakeholder engagementJ. Kuzma, GMOs: Implications for Biodiversity Conservation and Ecological Processes, 2020.
This chapter overviews the types, purposes, and potential impacts of gene drive organisms (GDOs) and discusses challenges with foreseeing and assessing these impacts prior to their environmental release. It concludes with a few examples of risk analysis methods and governance systems that scholars have proposed to cope with the novelty of GDOs and uncertainties associated with their use. With GDOs poised for release in the near future, it is urgent that technologists, ecologists, social scientists, ethicists, stakeholders, and publics work together to grapple with the immense challenges associated with assessments of GDOs and the design of governance systems to ensure their responsible development and potential use.
