GMO for a better future

GMO is an abbreviation for “genetically modified organism”, an organism whose genes have been altered by using genetic engineering. The first GMO, which was a mouse, was first introduced in 1973 and in 1983 the first GMO-plant was introduced. The reason behind the existence of GMO is to benefit us humans in many different ways. For example, organisms can be modified to become more nutritious or taste better. GMO is a hot topic in many scientific discussions, and there are many reasons for that. I am personally for GMO, since I reckon that the positives outweigh the negatives. There are three arguments that will hopefully change your view about GMO (particularly GMO-plants) to the same as mine.

First and foremost, GMO-plants can reduce attacks from insects, bacteria and viruses. This will reduce the use of costly and dangerous pesticides against pests. As a result of this, the environment and the workers will take reduced damage because no dangerous substances are coming out to the fields from pesticides. Because of that we are one step closer to a sustainable development. Since no pesticides are needed, the overall upkeep will reduce for farmers plus their work time will be a bit shorter.

Secondly, GMO-plants can be modified to be more fitted in a specific area so it will be easier for the plant to grow in that new habitat. This will be useful for many situations If a country can grow crops within its borders, the country does not have to import basic commodities which will save the country regarding the economy but also save the environment from more greenhouse gases since not having to import from other countries means not having to transport something from another country.

Some scientists will say that taking crops from another area to a new area will be risky since we don’t know the consequences. The plant may spread uncontrollably and dominate the new area while taking out the habitat of other plants. These are called “invasive species”. Trying to counteract it will affect the economy. For example, the US spends billions of dollars fighting invasive weeds like the yellow rocket flowers that creeps onto lawns and golf courses. However, though I do agree to some extent, I would still say that taking new plants to a new area is beneficial and worth it to us because people’s lives can be at stake. People may need crops from other places that can grow on their soil , for example, dry soil because their crops may not be suited anymore on their land due to global warming. Furthermore to counteract it, we have to gather information about how the organisms interact in the new land beforehand and only introduce plants that do no harm to the new area.

Last but not least, GMO-plants can be altered to contain more vitamins than they already have. As we will get more vitamins in ourselves, this will theoretically reduce the consumption worldwide because we won’t need to eat as much as before. An example is the “Golden Rice” which contains more A-vitamin than the usual rice. This has been proven very useful in South East Asia and Africa where many children there suffer from lack of A-vitamin. Over 670 000 South East Asian and African children have been saved each year by changing the usual rice to the newly introduced golden rice instead. With healthier plants the hunger crisis can be solved more easily since the overall consumption of food will be reduced as mentioned before and humans will get more of the vitamins they need to survive.

I believe that continuing the GMO research will be highly beneficial for our kind and will be a big factor for solving global problems. By taking careful steps forward within GMO research and using the knowledge outside the laboratory we will be one step closer to solve huge problems like the hunger crisis around the globe and the increased global warming. This way we can keep going with the development of our human kind for a better future.