Much remains unknown about the long-term ecological impacts of genetically modified crops, but we must reconsider their potential benefits before climate change causes irreparable damage to our food system. worth it.
Thanks to our now globalized food system, many of us in the Western world take for granted that we can walk into a supermarket and buy everything from asparagus to cinnamon rolls to chocolate-flavored beer. and they all seem to be available at any time. .
However, for this to continue to be possible, a stable climate is required. Humans have been lucky to maintain a stable climate for the past 12,000 years or so. Unfortunately, we have entered the Anthropocene. In this era, we are facing many of the effects of industrial activities that have destabilized the climate for centuries.
Can science save our food?
Many food crops can only grow under certain climatic conditions, meaning too little or too much heat or rain can ruin the entire harvest. As of 2024, record floods and heat waves have devastated parts of the US, Europe, Asia, and Brazil. Oddly enough, droughts are also becoming more common, lowering crop yields around the world and adding to the potential for higher food prices.
A possible solution is to genetically modify crops to make them more resistant to ever-increasing climate change. Genetically modified foods, also known as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), have long been a topic of controversy as many consumers fear they may have negative effects on human health. However, more than 100 research studies ranging from the American Medical Association to the World Health Organization have found that such concerns are widely unfounded and that genetically modified foods are safe for consumers.
Karen Mussell, a researcher at the University of Queensland Crop Science Center, said in a 2023 conversation: “There is no reason to suggest tweaking the gene sequence.” [of many
plants and animals we eat] Consumption becomes harmful. Furthermore, there is currently no evidence that regulatory-approved GMO or gene-edited foods are unsafe for human consumption. ”
Genetically modified foods are derived from plants whose DNA has been altered by scientists with the goal of producing desirable traits. This may mean adding just one gene from another closely related plant.
GM crops can be engineered to be more drought tolerant than conventional crops, hardy enough to grow on a fraction of the water required by non-GM crops, and can be engineered to resist pests and diseases, greatly reducing the need for toxic pesticides that are harmful to the environment.
When it comes to excess rain, an international collaboration (funded by the National Science Foundation’s Plant Genome Research Program), including researchers from Argentina’s National University of La Plata and the Netherlands’ Utrecht University, has helped some crops grow more rapidly around the world. It turns out that it is also possible to genetically modify animals to withstand the frequent floods.
GMOs and land use
In addition to being able to thrive under increasingly volatile climatic conditions, evidence suggests that genetically modified crops could help reduce the environmental impact of food production.
Approximately 31% of human greenhouse gas emissions come from food production, much of which comes from land use. Traditional crops don’t always survive to harvest, so more land needs to be used to produce more crops. This often means that forests that store more carbon are destroyed to make room for more food crops. However, some studies suggest that genetically modified crops also produce higher yields. This means less land is required compared to non-GMO crops, potentially freeing up space for replanting trees that sequester carbon, provide habitat for wildlife, and produce oxygen. be.
Potential spillover effects on biodiversity
Although GM crops appear to have some important potential benefits, in the long term they may also cause unintended domino effects in natural ecosystems, such as stimulating the growth of herbicide-resistant weeds. GM crops have also been associated with a net increase in herbicide use on some crops in certain parts of the world.
Genetic modification is known to have negative effects not only on soil and water ecosystems, but also on non-target organisms. As an example, genetically modified corn and soybeans in North America to be resistant to herbicides have resulted in the destruction of large areas of habitat for the monarch butterfly, an important pollinator. While corn and soybeans thrived, herbicides killed non-tolerant plants between the rows. GM crops, including milkweed (a plant that monarch butterflies rely exclusively on for food and egg laying), illustrate the types of unintended effects on ecosystem health that we are risking through genetic modification.
A holistic and climate-stable approach to food production
No matter how we proceed, it is clear that we will have to learn on the fly. Because a rapidly changing climate poses ever more pressing threats to both human health and the health of the world’s food supply.
Even the University of Queensland’s Karen Mussell, who advocates for expanded use of genetically modified food crops, acknowledged that there were “legitimate concerns” including “unintended ecological impacts” and added that “there are Food development is about sustainability, social justice and scientific rigor.”
While much remains unknown about the long-term effects of GMOs, their potential benefits are worth revisiting before climate change causes irreversible damage to our food system.
Publication date May 22, 2024 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST
Roberto Guerra
Roberto Guerra is a bilingual writer, editor, entrepreneur, and corporate engagement and communications specialist who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Sabana (Bogota, Colombia) and an International in Sustainable Development and Corporate Responsibility from EOI. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran with a master’s degree. Business School (Madrid, Spain). Born in New York and raised in Florida, Roberto is the former managing director of the Spanish version of the vegan business magazine Vegconomist and the author of three novels. He has lived, worked and studied on four different continents.
