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XFrequentist comments on Now is the time to eliminate mosquitoes - Less Wrong Discussion
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Agreed! What would be the best approach (I'm a PhD student and vector-borne disease epidemiologist)?
For you I suggest something that also advances your career so that you can devote more time to the project. If the answer to this isn't clear I suggest talking to your professors asking what they suggest. Another approach is to become a literal superhero. Assemble a group of scientists who on their own could eradicate mosquitoes and just do it. Don't wait for official approval.
The appeal of this route is obvious, but I don't think it should be discussed on a public forum.
Certainly, no one seriously considering implementing such a policy should advocate it in a public forum. I think lots of scientists would consider breaking existing ethical standards to do a massive amount of good to be non-obvious.
That's an excellent way to end up in jail on bioterrorism charges.
I don't think what I'm advocating can by any reasonable or standard definition be classified as terrorism. I'm not seeking to harm or scare anyone.
You would, at the very least, be in violation of several acts regarding approval of GMOs: https://www.loc.gov/law/help/restrictions-on-gmos/usa.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_of_the_release_of_genetically_modified_organisms#United_States Specifically, you'd be violating FDA requirements by releasing '“new animal drugs” (NADs)' without approval. Depending on whether mosquitoes are considered plant pests, it looks like you'd also be violating Department of Agriculture laws. I assume you'd probably also be violating a number of EPA laws but didn't see anything specifically about that.
Couldn't you get around these laws by either (a) releasing the mosquitoes outside of the U.S. or (b) creating and releasing them outside of the U.S.?
Maybe not. At least one bioterrorism provision has extraterritoriality.
Do you know that a pipe bomb is legally classified as a weapon of mass destruction?
Yes it is (with emphasis on the word "excellent"). That's part of why doing it would make one a superhero.
Edit: I wonder if you could do this without breaking any laws if you only release the mosquitoes in international waters?
Actually, ending up in jail is a good option. I suspect that there are certain government agencies which, on learning that you secretly plan to release genetically-engineered insects into the wild, would just disappear you. Notably such agencies give zero shits about concepts like "international waters".