How Anti-Science Influences Public Health and Safety

This clip from The Proof with Simon Hill, a science-focused health and nutrition podcast, looks at the real-world costs of misinformation. From GMO myths to climate denial, it argues that when facts lose to fear, people get hurt and billions of dollars are lost.

What the clip covers

• The human and financial costs of disinformation
• What most people get wrong about Monsanto and GMOs
• How climate denial delays action
• Why scientific literacy is essential for a functioning democracy

The evidence

Major scientific bodies, including the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, have concluded that approved genetically modified crops are as safe to eat as conventional ones. Fear of GMOs has still had real consequences: Golden Rice, engineered to fight vitamin A deficiency, was delayed for decades, and some countries have restricted crops that could raise yields and cut pesticide use. Criticism of corporate behaviour is fair, but it is a separate question from whether the technology is safe.

Related reading: GMOs: A Landscape of Misinformation, What Is Science Literacy? and Risks and Consequences of Science Misinformation.