The Sustainable World First International Conference took place last month in the UK, and the meeting materials are now starting to appear online. The conference was sponsored by the Institute of Science in Society (ISIS), a UK organization seeking to "promote science responsible to civil society and the public good, independent of commercial and other special interests, or of government control." Presenters at the conference included activists, researchers and even a few politicians, with topics ranging from "Sustainable Food Systems for Sustainable Development" (PDF) to "Food and Energy Security: Local Systems, Global Solidarity" (PDF) to "Soil, Climate, Productivity and Environmental Justice". As you can probably tell, the conference's main topic was sustainable agriculture.

ISIS appears to have as its primary focus opposition to genetic modification to foods. Although I believe the question of bioengineering is more complex than some supporters and critics would like to suggest, the efforts of science-based groups like ISIS are critical for keeping everyone aware of how risks are considered and problems are managed.