The use of GMOs (Genetically modified organisms) have been an issue of debate worldwide for as long as they have existed. There is a large sum of people who believe that GMOs are dangerous to humans. However in reality they are not just helping humanity, but helping to protect the environment from humanity.
Genetically modified crops are arguably the most common form of GMO in our modern world. Through genetic modification, we specialize our crops to have greater yield, and have resistance to pests. Some of the most common GM crops we use are corn, soybeans, cotton, and potatoes. These GM crops allow farmers to grow more crops without using up more land. Additionally, they don’t need to buy and use pesticides, which gives them the ability to lower the cost to buy their crops, in turn helping those in poverty to better afford this food.
The resistance to pests that we have put into these crops does more than just save money. It takes away the dangers associated with using man-made pesticides, known to cause illness in farmers, as well as harming the enviornment. However GM plants take care of this problem by having the crops express a protein from “Bacillus Thuringiensis” which is toxic to certain insects. Those against GM plants often argue that putting this in plants is dangerous to humans. However this is simply not true, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, “Beyond the economic benefits to growers, the use of Bt corn and Bt cotton result in less risk to human health and the environment than chemical alternatives.” Several others have come to the same conclusion, such as the Entomological Society of America, which stated “Bt is a bacterium that is not toxic to humans or other mammals but is toxic to certain insects when ingested.” Caffeine is another example of a natural substance that kills many insects, however for humans it’s fine to ingest.
GMOs have a great effect on humanity’s agriculture endeavor. A german meta-study published in PLoS One found that on average since GMOs have been adopted chemical pesticide use reduced by 37%, farmer profits increased 68%, and crop yields increased 22%. They also help smaller farms get started in the agriculture business by taking full advantage of the low amount of land they have, to maximize profitability. Although the same study also found that in underdeveloped countries the yields increased with an average of 36%. They attributed this to the higher rate of crop damage that was caused by pests, and the Bt use in GMOs solved this problem in a greater scale than in developed countries that don’t have as significant of a pest problem.
However there are even more uses of GMOs that are currently in development and testing. One such GM is a variation of rice that has a higher amount of vitamin A. According the the golden rice humanitarian board, Vitamin A deficiency compromises the immune systems of 40 percent of children under the age of five in developing countries. We can also help the economy of these countries with the use of other GMO crops increase production to fight malnutrition, and consequently will help the economy of these countries to grow. But we can do much more than just help humanity with GMOs, we can help protect the environment from humanity.
Firstly, the most obvious way we can use GMOs to help the environment is by reducing the amount of land we use for farming. USDA-NASS statistics have shown that ever since the use of GMO crops, the yield per acre has increased drastically. This means less land is needed to create the same amount of crops, and that means we are able to preserve the forests around us that fight the pollution of our planet. However, we are currently developing very powerful ways to stop, and possibly reverse climate change. A team in Germany has developed a chain to replace the enzyme chain used in photosynthesis. Should a living system have this pathway used, it could metabolize carbon dioxide two or three times as fast as it does now. We could use this technology to reverse our effects on the planet, or as the very least buy us time to figure out a better solution to global warming.
The fear of GMOs being dangerous, while mostly unfounded when arguing about GMOs currently in use, does raise a fair point. Without heavy regulation and experimentation it is possible to create a GMO that could have negative effects. However this is why lengthy and extensive testing is performed by the FDA, EPA, and USDA APHIS. Testing these GMOs for potential human risk, environmental risk, and livestock risk can take up to 5-7 years. We must ensure that all GMOs continue to be analyzed and tested intensely before use in order to insure that they can’t do harm.
GMOs are our best chance for change in our world. The time has come for humanity to save not only itself, but save the environment from our own impact.