Perhaps one of the greatest contentions in environmental concerns over the past decade has been the idea of genetically modified organisms, specifically genetically modified crops. Historically, crops have been modified slowly over generations through means of selective breeding in order to bring forth more desirable traits to the crop such as increased fruit size, faster growth rate, increased resistance to pests, and many other desirable traits. Today, this process is accelerated significantly through the means of genetic modification, a process that enhances certain traits from selective breeding but is primarily used to input new genes into the plant or organism that will cause it to behave in a manner that does not occur naturally. As a more recent technology, the first documented case of genetic modification of an organism came in 1973, and the first pesticide producing crop came in 1995. As a result, environmentalists on both sides of the issue have spoken up both in opposition or in affirmation of genetically modified crops.
The Cons…
Fig. 1 Why Biotech. GM Seeds Good or Bad?
To begin to understand the scope of the problem of GMO’s, one must hear the views of those in opposition to its spread throughout the world. Since the technology is still in its relative infancy, a large amount of concern has amounted regarding the potential that health issues may arise as a result of modifications such as antibiotic resistance or newly formed allergies to the new strain of crop. While little definitive evidence supports the claims of these health risks, long-term studies are largely yet to be undergone, meaning that the lifelong health impacts of GMO’s are still unknown to the scientific community. Several notable laboratory experiments have been conducted using rodents to simulate humans and have largely found no discernable difference between GMO and non-GMO groups of test subjects in numerous categories ranging from first-generation health to offspring health to reproductive potential. While this is the case for rodents, many argue that there is still a potential that new GMO’s could have adverse effects, requiring each new crop to undergo extensive testing. Another largely touted downside towards genetically modified crops is their introduced herbicide resistance, leading to an increase in herbicide use across the world as it becomes more and more effective at targeting pests while ignoring key crops. Finally, due to strict patent laws, companies that produce GMO crops can more readily file lawsuits against farmers as a result of GMO contaminated fields, often not at a fault of their own as the origin is sometimes that of a neighboring field (Monsanto 9:51). The strict control over genetically modified crops whether or not a farmer has officially signed contracts with producers such as Monsanto themselves has led to a wave of outrage at the current state of the issue, building a negative environmental and legal perspective on the crop use as a whole.
The Pros…
Fig. 2 The Conversation. Can science help the developing world stave off a food crisis?
While this issue may be the case, proponents for the use of genetically modified crops cite many other reasons for the environmental and social advantages to the technology. For example, due to the faster growth cycles of genetically modified crops alongside the increased crop density due to the lack of pests and weeds, genetically modified crops have significantly increased global production of food and agricultural products. According to the Cornell Alliance for Science, between the years 1996 and 2015, GM crops have increased global production of corn, soybeans, cotton fiber, and canola by 357.7, 180.3, 25.2, and 10.6 million tons respectively, accounting for a 6-25% increase in crop yield alone compared to non-genetically modified crops. As a result, since the world population only needs a finite amount of food, the resulting overage has led to a significant reduction in land needed for agriculture, preventing deforestation and cultivation of other lands by nearly twenty million hectares in the year 2015 by itself. Since deforestation is already becoming a massive problem worldwide, the significant reduction in the amount of land used for farming as a result of more dense cultivation technologies has opened new doors to solving multiple problems using one simple technological solution. Furthermore, with an ever-increasing world population, the concern for imminent global food shortages has become more pronounced as ever. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, food production must increase by nearly 70% and nearly double in developing countries in order to meet the demands of growing population projections of nearly 9.1 billion by the year 2050. In order to minimize the impact on the environment, a minimization of agricultural land area must be of utmost priority to countries across the world as forests worldwide stand as among the largest sinks of carbon and the largest society has a major impact on. For every 40 acres of woodlands, the carbon emissions of 109 cars are accounted for, effectively bringing the topic of GMOs to the forefront of the debate on climate change.
As a whole, the issue of genetically modified crops and their proliferation worldwide has been a relatively controversial topic since its inception in the early 1970s-1990s. Despite this relative controversy, research in recent years has solidified the necessity of GM crops in the global economy as a means to reduce land usage amidst a growing world population as well as protect natural ecosystems and reduce the global impact of deforestation on the overarching issue of the changing global climate. Though numerous challenges both socially and politically await genetically modified crops and organisms moving into the future, advocates for the technology as a means to sustain a larger and larger population remain optimistic for the future.