In this essay I will attempt to compare, contrast, and evaluate the disciplines of genetic engineering and climate science, along with their potential significance. I will also defend my opinion that genetic engineering may have the greater long-term impact on human society and our understanding of nature, while also acknowledging the long-term impact of climate science. My conclusion will evaluate the potential of for both positive and negative impacts genetic engineering may have on human society and nature, depending on how it is used and for what purpose. I will reference material from Weart’s Government: The View from Washington, DC (in: The Discovery of Global Warming, Scribbler’s Signs of Gulf Stream Slowdown, Carmichael’s Let There
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Both threaten to affect human society and nature, but I think that genetic engineering will impact human society more soon than climate science. I also think that genetic engineering will have the greater long-term impact on human society and our understanding of nature. Genetic manipulation may make science fiction a reality in the long-term by creating different life forms. From a science fiction point of view, these manipulations may allow the human species to evolve into something unheard that may be able to survive with the future Earth conditions (after the climate change takes effect). Overall, I think that this impact may be viewed as positive, but I personally find it to be extremely negative. To defy the normal course of life and make alterations to the genetic structure is unnatural and should be discouraged. Our current technology does not support this happening at all and I foresee this being irreversible. The permanent nature of genetic engineering is already apparent with food. GMOs have altered our perception of how food should be as opposed to how the food naturally appeared. For example, corn used to be multi-colored and grew one ear per stalk. Corn is now yellow and can grow up to three ears per stalk. This alteration may be positive in the short term, but may have drastically negative impacts on human health. Again, there is potential for genetic engineering to have a positive impact on society, but this science is new and may carry a lot more negative impacts than currently
Both threaten to affect human society and nature, but I think that genetic engineering will impact human society more soon than climate science. I also think that genetic engineering will have the greater long-term impact on human society and our understanding of nature. Genetic manipulation may make science fiction a reality in the long-term by creating different life forms. From a science fiction point of view, these manipulations may allow the human species to evolve into something unheard that may be able to survive with the future Earth conditions (after the climate change takes effect). Overall, I think that this impact may be viewed as positive, but I personally find it to be extremely negative. To defy the normal course of life and make alterations to the genetic structure is unnatural and should be discouraged. Our current technology does not support this happening at all and I foresee this being irreversible. The permanent nature of genetic engineering is already apparent with food. GMOs have altered our perception of how food should be as opposed to how the food naturally appeared. For example, corn used to be multi-colored and grew one ear per stalk. Corn is now yellow and can grow up to three ears per stalk. This alteration may be positive in the short term, but may have drastically negative impacts on human health. Again, there is potential for genetic engineering to have a positive impact on society, but this science is new and may carry a lot more negative impacts than currently