Thursday, January 28, 2021
GMO test
  • Politics
    • American Politics
    • Canadian Politics
    • International Politics
  • Investing
  • Business
    • Corporate Culture
    • Leadership
    • Marketing
    • Supply Chains
  • Economy
    • Jobs
    • The Green Economy
    • GDP
  • Energy
    • Solar
    • Wind
    • Fossil Fuels
    • Renewables
  • Environment
    • Emissions
    • Wildfires
    • Biodiversity
    • Extreme Weather
  • Technology
    • Food
    • Health
    • Buildings
    • Renewables
    • Carbon Capture
    • Transportation
    • Climate Change
  • Social Change
    • Activism
    • Education
    • Psychology
No Result
View All Result
  • Politics
    • American Politics
    • Canadian Politics
    • International Politics
  • Investing
  • Business
    • Corporate Culture
    • Leadership
    • Marketing
    • Supply Chains
  • Economy
    • Jobs
    • The Green Economy
    • GDP
  • Energy
    • Solar
    • Wind
    • Fossil Fuels
    • Renewables
  • Environment
    • Emissions
    • Wildfires
    • Biodiversity
    • Extreme Weather
  • Technology
    • Food
    • Health
    • Buildings
    • Renewables
    • Carbon Capture
    • Transportation
    • Climate Change
  • Social Change
    • Activism
    • Education
    • Psychology
No Result
View All Result
GMO test
No Result
View All Result
Home Uncategorized

Genetic Engineering: The Dark Side of Climate Ready Crops

by Richard Matthews
May 16, 2013
in Uncategorized
0
Climate change is already affecting food supplies around the world as heat waves and drought reduce grain harvests and food prices soar. For every 1˚ C rise above optimum growing season temperatures, farmers will likely experience a 10 percent decline in their yields. And with a growing global population expected to hit 9 billion by 2050, 80 million more people need to be fed each year.

Between 2008 and 2010, at least 261 patents were filed or issued related to “climate-ready” crops—seeds supposedly able to withstand extreme conditions like droughts and floods; of these patents close to 80 percent were controlled by just six agribusiness giants, (DuPont, BASF, Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer and Dow). This represents an exclusive monopoly and control over the world’s plant biomass.

These large agrochemical and seed corporations are developing “climate-ready crops” and have filed almost two thousand patents for genetically engineered (GE) plants with high tolerance for drought, heat, cold and salinity, As of 2010, almost 366 million acres around the world were planted with GE crops, with the most acreage in the U.S., Brazil, Argentina, India, Canada, and China. Increasingly we are seeing developing countries increasing their using GE crops.

In the US GE soybeans make up 93 percent of the US soybean crop, and GE corn is up to 70 percent of the corn crop. Most of these are used for animal feed but as there is no labeling requirement we just do not know for sure.

As much as 80 percent of US processed foods contain GE crop ingredients such as corn starch, high fructose corn syrup, canola and cottonseed oil, soy flour, etc.

Very few benefits have been found to be associated with GE crops. Some research shows that GE crops do initially reduce the use of herbicides and pesticides. However, the use of GE crops have led to the growth of super-weeds which are resistant to herbicides and pesticides and therefore require more of these toxins. The notion that GE crops increase yields does not appear to be borne out by the research.

There is some evidence to suggest that mammals fed with GE soybeans and maize are more prone to develop liver and kidney problems.

The effects of GE crops on biodiversity are also of concern. Allergens from GE crops can be transferred across crop species, and transgenes can drift from GE crops to organic and non-GE crops. This gene drift could give some plants a selective advantage, allowing them to drive out other varieties. In addition, the Bt toxin in GE crops may harm species not specifically targeted that ingest pollen or plant debris. And because the giant agrochemical and seed companies can make more money from their GE seeds, they will likely stop selling conventional seeds, eventually limiting the variety of seeds available to farmers.

The bottom line is that there is still a lot we don’t know about GE crops. The agro-giants in control of the seeds make it impossible to do the research as to gain access to GE seeds, a buyer must sign an agreement that specifically forbids research.

There are also far reaching socio-economic impacts associated with GE seeds because they are proprietary, farmers must pay royalties to use them and new seeds must be purchased every season. Failure to adhere to these stipulations can result in legal action. As of 2007, Monsanto had filed 112 lawsuits against farmers for patent infringement, including against organic and conventional farmers whose crops were inadvertently contaminated with transgene seeds that blew into their fields.

GM crops need more study, but at present we can say they offer few if any proven benefits.  What is known is the fact that they jeopardize biodiversity and threaten global food sovereignty.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Articles

Video – International Day Of Protest Against Monsanto & GMO Foods MAY 25, 2013
Video – The Passage of the “Monsanto Protection Act”
Population Growth and Global Food Production
Food Production and Climate Change
Breaking the Cycle of Famine
Food Production and UN Millennium Development Goals

ShareTweetShare
Previous Post

Organic Produce and Sustainable Seafoods

Next Post

Complimentary Webinar – Who Cares About Sustainability?

Related Posts

Unprecedented Wildfires in 2020 are Connected to Climate Change

by Richard Matthews
December 29, 2020
0

The intense wildfires that raged across the Western U.S., South America, and Australia in 2020 are being attributed to climate change. What makes these fires unprecedented is their size and...

American Courts are Defending Democracy and the Environment

by Richard Matthews
December 14, 2020
0

Despite unprecedented challenges, America's legal system has held. In recent weeks the courts have repeatedly defended democracy and in the last four years they have overturned a wide range of environmental...

Boycott Culture and Brand Influence During Trump’s Presidency and Beyond

by Richard Matthews
December 8, 2020
0

Brands wield enormous influence over popular culture and whether they are pursuing core social values or trying to preempt boycotts, brands are finding it harder to ignore social, environmental and political...

Next Post

Complimentary Webinar - Who Cares About Sustainability?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • SoundCloud

Subscribe to the Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Fossil Fuels

Banks are Backing Away from Fossil Fuels and Embracing Sustainability

by Richard Matthews
January 27, 2021
0

Major banks have been slow to act but it appears as thought they are moving away from dirty energy. Big...

Read more

Economics Fuel Renewable Energy Growth

January 25, 2021

Biden Gets to Work on Climate Action

January 21, 2021

Taking Stock of Trump’s Dismal Legacy

January 19, 2021

Corporate America’s Break Up with Trump & the GOP

January 15, 2021
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Energy
  • Environment
  • Investing
  • Politics
  • Technology
  • Social Change

© 2021 Copyright The Green Market Oracle.

No Result
View All Result
  • Business
    • Corporate Culture
    • Leadership
    • Marketing
    • Supply Chains
  • Economy
    • GDP
    • Jobs
    • The Green Economy
  • Energy
    • Fossil Fuels
    • Renewables
    • Solar
    • Wind
  • Environment
    • Emissions
    • Biodiversity
    • Extreme Weather
    • Wildfires
  • Investing
  • Politics
    • American Politics
    • Canadian Politics
    • International Politics
  • Technology
    • Buildings
    • Carbon Capture
    • Climate Change
    • Food
    • Transportation
    • Health
    • Renewables
  • Social Change
    • Education
    • Activism
    • Psychology
    • Marches

© 2021 Copyright The Green Market Oracle.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In