| Few corporations in the world are as loathed—and as sinister—as Monsanto. But the threat it poses to people and planet could be reaching new heights, as the World Health Organization has recently upgraded Monsanto's main product as carcinogenic to humans. With protests against the agrochemical giant held in over 40 countries in May, learn why the global movement against Monsanto is of critical importance to our future. Monsanto was heavily involved in profiting from war in tandem with the U.S. government, including the atom bomb and agent orange used in the Vietnam war. DDT was a dangerous chemical produced by Monsanto that devastated the environment, and responsible for birth defects and cancer. Monsanto chose to conceal the truth behind their deadly products, through propaganda. The U.S. government was also implicit in hiding the truth behind Monsanto’s harm. Monsanto has consistently used propaganda to assure the public that its products are safe. For 40 years Monsanto was the world’s largest producer of PCB, which poisoned the environment. Monsanto was found guilty of several offences including negligence and suppression of the truth. Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was one of those employed by Monsanto to improve their image and so began to move into the agricultural sector. They began producing genetically modified crops, and the U.S government has consistently compromised regulations in favor of Monsanto’s technology. Monsanto currently has a monopoly on the world agricultural market and now produces 80 percent of world corn and 93 percent of world soy. Monsanto’s flagship product, Roundup, contains the dangerous chemical glyphosate. The World Health Organization recently upgraded glyphosate as carcinogenic to humans. Roundup is the most used weed killer in history. According to the U.S. Geological Survey over 280 million pounds of roundup were used in 2010, almost one pound of poison for every U.S. citizen. But people have started to fight back against Monsanto. On May 23, 2016, tens of thousands protested against Monsanto across forty countries. With speculation that Monsanto will merge with German chemical and pharmaceutical company Bayer, now it is a critical time to stop the corporate giant. Source URL |