With the rate at which our planets population is growing, what are we going to eat when we run out of room to plant crops, raise animals? There is always the option of genetically modified organisms or GMO’s, meats that are grown in labratories, algae, or even insects, but all of these are “temporary fixes” to the real problem. How can we sustainably survive on this planet at all if we continue down this path of over consumption?
According to the Non GMO Project, GMO’s are defined as living organisms whose genetic material has been altered via genetic engineering in a laboratory (GMO Facts, 2016). Essentially the existing original organisms or crops, whether it be corn, cotton, or fish are taken and altered by adding part of other organisms …show more content…
One prime example of such a contamination is what is happening each day in the Chesapeake Bay, as we saw in the Frontline movie. The phosphorus and nitrogen in the water acts as the food for algae blooms, and when the phosphorous and nitrogen gets into waterways it can cause increased growth of algae and plants with the higher nutrient availability. When these plants die they use a large oration of the dissolved oxygen in the water. The lack of dissolved water contributes to dead zones, where no plants or animals can live. In the movie we saw how quickly fish can die if they are caught in one of these areas for any amount of time. The aquatic life in the Chesapeake has declined considerably with the ever growing demand for commercial poultry farming. If something is not done to decrease the demand for commercial farming there is fear that there will be a day where the beautiful Chesapeake Bay will be uninhabitable for all living animals.
There has to be a balance between production and consumption. If we as consumers continue to take, pollute, and destroy our planet there will not be a planet left. We each need to do our part to maintain our air quality, waterways, and forests to ensure our future. Making plants and foods in laboratories, and farming fish is not the answer to the problem. All that it is doing is just putting a band-aid on a bullet hole; we as a society need to make a change for the
According to the Non GMO Project, GMO’s are defined as living organisms whose genetic material has been altered via genetic engineering in a laboratory (GMO Facts, 2016). Essentially the existing original organisms or crops, whether it be corn, cotton, or fish are taken and altered by adding part of other organisms …show more content…
One prime example of such a contamination is what is happening each day in the Chesapeake Bay, as we saw in the Frontline movie. The phosphorus and nitrogen in the water acts as the food for algae blooms, and when the phosphorous and nitrogen gets into waterways it can cause increased growth of algae and plants with the higher nutrient availability. When these plants die they use a large oration of the dissolved oxygen in the water. The lack of dissolved water contributes to dead zones, where no plants or animals can live. In the movie we saw how quickly fish can die if they are caught in one of these areas for any amount of time. The aquatic life in the Chesapeake has declined considerably with the ever growing demand for commercial poultry farming. If something is not done to decrease the demand for commercial farming there is fear that there will be a day where the beautiful Chesapeake Bay will be uninhabitable for all living animals.
There has to be a balance between production and consumption. If we as consumers continue to take, pollute, and destroy our planet there will not be a planet left. We each need to do our part to maintain our air quality, waterways, and forests to ensure our future. Making plants and foods in laboratories, and farming fish is not the answer to the problem. All that it is doing is just putting a band-aid on a bullet hole; we as a society need to make a change for the