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‘Biomassacre’by the BeehiveCollectiveIn the UNFCCC (climatechange) negotiations, Southgovernments seem to beunaware that “technologytransfer” will be leveraged toextend industry’s monopolyover biomass technologies tothe South’s lands and resources.The implications of the “NewBioeconomy” are so vast thatthey should be on the agendaof every UN agency and must,especially, be addressed at theRio+20 Summit to be held inBrazil in 2012.PoliciesAnnouncements during 2010that synthetic biologyresearchers can substantiallymanipulate DNA to buildartificial, self-replicatingmicroorganisms that havenever before appeared on Earthhave immediate implicationsfor biodiversity, biosafety andnational economies.Synthetically constructed lifeforms should not be releasedinto the environment, and theUN and national governmentsshould establish – at the veryleast – moratoria to prevent such releases. As urgently,studies must be undertaken to determine theimplications of what the U.S. government calls “the biobasedrevolution” for climate change, the world’secosystems, food and energy supplies and for livelihoodsand land rights.Civil society and social movements organized aroundagriculture, land rights, forest protection, marine issues,emerging technologies, chemical toxins, climate change,energy justice and consumption urgently need to findmeans to share analysis and co-ordinate resistance inaddressing common threats arising from the NewBioeconomy.ETC Group iv www.etcgroup.org