As discussed last week, GMOs decrease the need for the application of many herbicides multiple times a year, which reduces pesticide and fuel use since the amount of times having to spread it across fields has decreased. This cuts the time and cost required to upkeep the crops, which is especially crucial in impoverished countries, as it enables farmers to grow more food, feed more people, and send their children to school instead of working on the farm. 

One issue with genetically modified plants is that since most GM plants are resistant to glyphosate, a weed killer, farmers use it much more liberally on GM crops than before. The EPA monitors the safety of weed killers used by farmers, and despite decades of testing and many studies, it has not been proven harmful to humans. However, research is still being done, and some studies show that it could possibly be dangerous for human consumption.

Crop output is also increased by disease and pest resistance. BT crops produce a compound that kills the insects that eat it, reducing the use of pesticides, and is completely safe for human consumption. 

GMOs have been around for 30 years, and after thousands of studies, it has been declared that GMOs are no more dangerous than their organic counterparts. In fact, many GM plants have been designed to have better health benefits than the same organic produce, as well as being engineered to be more resistant to climate change and even absorb more CO2. Additionally, some plants have been modified to draw nitrogen from the air, which fertilizes the plant. This is incredible because fertilizer build-up can pollute water and accelerate climate change. Therefore, if plants can fertilize independently, fertilizer does not have to be applied, and its concentration in the groundwater can be avoided. Overall, GM plants have many overwhelmingly positive aspects. They aren’t harmful to humans,  can improve nutrition, reduce the time and cost required to grow them, combat climate change, and feed and support impoverished countries. Their only downside is the choices farmers make when applying herbicides, which is an issue still being studied. Scientists have yet to touch the limits of genetic engineering, and GMOs can be a crucial tool in solving many more of the world’s problems.

Writing this Synopsis began as a nightmare, as I wanted to look at viewpoints that both supported and opposed GMOs, but found so many contradicting articles that seemed faulty and misleading. The articles I read on my normal databases weren’t working for me, so I decided to use other resources to find different sources, and discovered that pages with a neutral perspective that discussed both the pros and cons in an organized manner gave me the most clear information. After finding the right sources, this was a really enlightening and much easier experience, and although I wasn’t excited to write this Synopsis, I’m glad I did!

Next week I will be discussing several organizations that you can donate to in order to address and battle climate change, so stay tuned to learn with me!

https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/agricultural-biotechnology

Specter, Michael. “Roundup and Risk Assessment.” Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2023. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/GQASNM520318242/OVIC?u=ante588&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=13182fc2. Accessed 28 May 2023. Originally published as “Roundup and Risk Assessment,” The New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2015.

Are GMOs Good or Bad? Genetic Engineering & Our Food –