Garrett Zaborowski
English 015
April 20th, 2015
The Negatives of GMOs Our world’s society is technologically advancing constantly. The food industry is having technological advances by using genetically modified foods also known as GMOs, which defined by The World Health Organization (WHO) as organisms whose DNA has been altered in a non-natural way. GM plants are usually modified to be insect resistant, virus resistance, or herbicide tolerant. There are many pros and cons about GMOs. The start of GMOs can positively or negatively affect America depending on which aspects you want to focus on, but when you look at the overall picture GMOs are negatively affecting the United States. Some of the many cons of GMO foods are environmental damage, …show more content…
Finally, biodiversity, which is critical in all ecosystems and to the sustainability of all species, is put at risk by GMO foods. GM crops are generally planted in a monocrop fashion, which means that many heritage seeds are no longer used. The nature of GMOs means fewer weed flowers and, therefore, less nectar for the pollinators such as bees to choose from so the crop will be pollinated more instead of weeds being pollinated. Hurst also says “The combination of herbicides and genetically modified seed had made my farm more sustainable, not less, and actually reduces the pollution I send down the river.” (3). Hurst speaks as though pollution to the rivers by dumping top soil is the only form of pollution he can cause, but GMO farming is causing pollution to the soil and air. The toxins released into the soil through the plants roots mean fewer soil bacteria, which perform an extremely wide range of helpful chemical transformations, including degrading organic matter, disease suppression, reducing bacteria that causes nitrogen fixation, and they are integral to healthy soil for plants to grow without using chemical fertilizers. Toxic residues are being left in the soil by …show more content…
"Economic Issues Surrounding Genetically Modified Foods." Infowars. Infowars.com, 23 June 2010. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. <http://www.infowars.com/economic-issues-surrounding-genetically-modified-foods/>.
"GE Foods Can Cause Allergic Reactions." Organic Consumers Association. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. <https://www.organicconsumers.org/old_articles/ge/allergies111603.php>.
Glass, Emily. "The Environmental Impact of GMOs." One Green Planet. 2 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. <http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/the-environmental-impact-of-gmos/>.
Hurst, Blake. "The Omnivore 's Delusion: Against the Agri-intellectuals." (2009): 1-8. Print.
Murnaghan, Ian. "Economic Impact of GM Foods." Economic Impact of GM Foods. 5 Dec. 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. <http://www.geneticallymodifiedfoods.co.uk/economic-impact-gm-foods.html>.
Pollan, Michael. "Food Movement Rising." New York Review of Books, 57.10 (June 10, 2010), 31-33.
"Pros and Cons of Genetically Modified Foods - HRF." HRF. 4 Dec. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
English 015
April 20th, 2015
The Negatives of GMOs Our world’s society is technologically advancing constantly. The food industry is having technological advances by using genetically modified foods also known as GMOs, which defined by The World Health Organization (WHO) as organisms whose DNA has been altered in a non-natural way. GM plants are usually modified to be insect resistant, virus resistance, or herbicide tolerant. There are many pros and cons about GMOs. The start of GMOs can positively or negatively affect America depending on which aspects you want to focus on, but when you look at the overall picture GMOs are negatively affecting the United States. Some of the many cons of GMO foods are environmental damage, …show more content…
Finally, biodiversity, which is critical in all ecosystems and to the sustainability of all species, is put at risk by GMO foods. GM crops are generally planted in a monocrop fashion, which means that many heritage seeds are no longer used. The nature of GMOs means fewer weed flowers and, therefore, less nectar for the pollinators such as bees to choose from so the crop will be pollinated more instead of weeds being pollinated. Hurst also says “The combination of herbicides and genetically modified seed had made my farm more sustainable, not less, and actually reduces the pollution I send down the river.” (3). Hurst speaks as though pollution to the rivers by dumping top soil is the only form of pollution he can cause, but GMO farming is causing pollution to the soil and air. The toxins released into the soil through the plants roots mean fewer soil bacteria, which perform an extremely wide range of helpful chemical transformations, including degrading organic matter, disease suppression, reducing bacteria that causes nitrogen fixation, and they are integral to healthy soil for plants to grow without using chemical fertilizers. Toxic residues are being left in the soil by …show more content…
"Economic Issues Surrounding Genetically Modified Foods." Infowars. Infowars.com, 23 June 2010. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. <http://www.infowars.com/economic-issues-surrounding-genetically-modified-foods/>.
"GE Foods Can Cause Allergic Reactions." Organic Consumers Association. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. <https://www.organicconsumers.org/old_articles/ge/allergies111603.php>.
Glass, Emily. "The Environmental Impact of GMOs." One Green Planet. 2 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. <http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/the-environmental-impact-of-gmos/>.
Hurst, Blake. "The Omnivore 's Delusion: Against the Agri-intellectuals." (2009): 1-8. Print.
Murnaghan, Ian. "Economic Impact of GM Foods." Economic Impact of GM Foods. 5 Dec. 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. <http://www.geneticallymodifiedfoods.co.uk/economic-impact-gm-foods.html>.
Pollan, Michael. "Food Movement Rising." New York Review of Books, 57.10 (June 10, 2010), 31-33.
"Pros and Cons of Genetically Modified Foods - HRF." HRF. 4 Dec. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.