Environmental Risks: The burning question currently plaguing the minds of millions of Americans is one of morality. Are GMOs environmentally safe? The answer is twofold, depending on your personal stance. Because this question is one of morality and ethics or science verses the higher being, we will look at both sides. From the beginning, many scientists have had concerns that the release of these new organisms, with their engineered DNA could have dire consequences. Those consequences not only affect the natural environment, but also conventional and organic agriculture. One of the biggest threats to the environment is the damage to soil. If we consider soil to be an ecosystem, then the simplicity of farming practices damage its composition
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Regardless of the category they fall in, the overall outcome is that they threaten the health of the soil in which they grow. Despite the many promises of the biotech industry to engineer plants to grow without fertilizer and tolerate extremes of climate, none of these promises have borne fruit. The problem lies with the genetic transformation of the specific DNA targeted. Genes that control stress tolerance and nutrient uptake are far too complex for scientists to replicate in a laboratory. If there is no way to reproduce the things you are trying to put into the environment, how can you predict the outcome? There are now problems with the GMO crops that posed no problem to our environment. The promise of herbicide tolerant crops were of easy weed control and fewer chemical applications, this is now not the case. These crops require fertilizer, and our now producing weeds that are resistant to the common herbicides. These crops are now herbicide tolerant and require the use of stronger and different herbicides to control them. In addition to the crops being herbicide tolerant, they also seem to be more susceptible to fungus and mildew. If the outcome was for the reduction of pesticides or herbicides, the biotech companies have missed the …show more content…
Scientists now believe at least some of these pesticides play a major role in Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), the ongoing demise of honeybee colonies. (Web)
How does on justify the production of something that puts millions of farmer at risk of losing the one thing that provides for not just him but others as well. Looking at the graph below, one can see the dramatic decline in the bee population due to GMO organisms.
Image 2. Monarch
Regardless of the category they fall in, the overall outcome is that they threaten the health of the soil in which they grow. Despite the many promises of the biotech industry to engineer plants to grow without fertilizer and tolerate extremes of climate, none of these promises have borne fruit. The problem lies with the genetic transformation of the specific DNA targeted. Genes that control stress tolerance and nutrient uptake are far too complex for scientists to replicate in a laboratory. If there is no way to reproduce the things you are trying to put into the environment, how can you predict the outcome? There are now problems with the GMO crops that posed no problem to our environment. The promise of herbicide tolerant crops were of easy weed control and fewer chemical applications, this is now not the case. These crops require fertilizer, and our now producing weeds that are resistant to the common herbicides. These crops are now herbicide tolerant and require the use of stronger and different herbicides to control them. In addition to the crops being herbicide tolerant, they also seem to be more susceptible to fungus and mildew. If the outcome was for the reduction of pesticides or herbicides, the biotech companies have missed the …show more content…
Scientists now believe at least some of these pesticides play a major role in Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), the ongoing demise of honeybee colonies. (Web)
How does on justify the production of something that puts millions of farmer at risk of losing the one thing that provides for not just him but others as well. Looking at the graph below, one can see the dramatic decline in the bee population due to GMO organisms.
Image 2. Monarch