EU-US To Collaborate On Geoengineering, Nanotechnology, And 'Rare Earths'

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Jul 22, 2010, 8:21:22 PM7/22/10

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EU-US To Collaborate On Geoengineering, Nanotechnology, And 'Rare Earths'
The US Congress has some experience of joint initiatives on strategic technical issues having recently completed parallel hearings on geo-engineering with a UK parliamentary committee. Gordon said some of his staff would stay on in Brussels for a few days to help kick-start the proposed cooperation on rare earths. Gordon, a 13-term congressman from Tennessee, said another area ripe for cooperation is the emerging field of synthetic biology. This, he said, promises breakthroughs in medicine and alternative energy. He compared the potential of synthetic biology to nanotechnology but warned that transparency will be key to earning public support for advances in this area. Gordon said the EU and US must work together to develop a body of research on the safety of the manufacture and use these new technologies. He said better communication can help avoid a re-run of the problems with genetically-modified foods, where American and European consumers hold fundamentally different views. "In fact, if we have started talking about SWIFT earlier we might not have got to where we are today," Gordon added, referring to the row over exchange of personal data...