Even as the population doubled from three to six billion, we managed to race ahead with all kinds of technological and scientific events in agriculture - from using more fertilizers to mechanization to advanced plant breeding.

Civilization depends on our expanding ability to produce food efficiently, which has markedly accelerated thanks to science and technology.

We are sliding back into a dark era, and there seems little we can do about it. I am profoundly depressed at just how difficult it has become merely to get a realistic conversation started on issues such as climate change or genetically modified organisms.

If there are more and more environmental refugees, they are going to end up on your doorstep too.

Weeds do become resistant to herbicides, and it needs to be managed with multiple herbicides.

The influence of a science adviser is only as good as ears open to that science advice.

If everybody switched to organic farming, we couldn't support the earth's current population - maybe half.