by Following the Green Revolution, GMOs were adapted and used in farming and other food producing sectors. GMOs have streamlined the process of growing and producing food which has proved extremely beneficial. On the other hand, GMOs have raised questions regarding how ethical these processes are since the effects of GMOs are still unknown. While further research on GMOs needs to be performed in order to better understand the consequences that they pose, GMOs are without a doubt beneficial to society as they allow for an increase in production and further preservation of certain foods.
GMOs are extremely beneficial to society. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are genetically engineered in order to achieve a certain desired result. This may include the manipulation of certain traits that allow crops or other forms of food to be produced in a certain way that increases the shelf-life of a certain item. Additionally, GMOs allow crops and plants to grow without being destroyed by insects and other crop killing entities. Furthermore, GMOs allow farmers to grow their crops more efficiently. GMOs make it so that plants need less space to grow. This allows for better allocation of farmland and increases how much money a farmer is able to profit off of his goods. A smaller amount of pesticides is required as a result of GMOs. Another benefit of GMOs is that they lower the price of food, allowing more people to have access to these necessities. With the implementation of GMOs, it has helped to combat world hunger and has worked to provide those most in need with food. GMOs allow for crop growth in environments not typically suitable for production. Finally, as more research is performed regarding GMOs, the already safe methods of production will be expanded upon and many new advancements will be found allowing for more efficient forms of GMOs to be used.
While GMOs provide many benefits in the production of different foods, they also pose a risk to humanity, as more research needs to be performed in order to safely implement them into food production. One of the largest negative effects of GMOs is that they contain chemicals that pose a risk to our health. Many of the chemicals being used in GMOs have been known to cause cancer and other deadly diseases. GMOs also pose a risk to other crops that have not been injected with them. Cross pollination can occur and disrupt the growth of other plants, therefore disrupting the food chain. GMOs also make it harder to depend on the food chain because with irregularities and disparities being present due to limited research being performed, some plants are destroyed. Moreover, monocrops are greatly affected by GMOs. GMOs destroy the land that these crops are planted on and make it harder to grow these same plants the following harvest season. While GMOs provide many benefits to the production of certain types of food, the cons of using GMOs in the production of food, outweighs the benefits.
Personally, I believe that GMOs should not be used in the production of food. GMOs pose a significant risk to our health since further research needs to be performed in order to understand the effects. I also believe that GMOs are embedded in the capitalist views that our country believes in. Many of the GMOs being used are preservatives. Many of these preservatives are detrimental to our health as well. They are chemicals which are added in order to increase the shelf life. By increasing the shelf life of these foods, it allows for the possibility of profiting off of it more likely. This doesn’t surprise me, as our country often would rather make money than save the lives of its citizens. Preservatives are used in all different types of foods including crops and meats. In order for GMOs to be ethically accepted for usage in food production, further research pertaining to the health of humans needs to done to better understand the effects that these chemicals have on our bodies.
Sources:
https://www.procon.org/headlines/gmos-top-3-pros-and-cons/
https://oxfordre.com/environmentalscience/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.001.0001/acrefore-9780199389414-e-217