Gmo Persuasive Essay

GMOs better known as Genetically Modified Organisms or GE (Genetically Engineered) are the product of a process of which allows scientists alter genes of a variety of foreign species such as plants, bacteria or even animals. This can cause unpredictable changes and can be harmful when consumed. GMO puts people as well as the environment at risk, such as destroying the natural food web to causing potential disease and allergies from mixing genes. Disease is one of the main concerns regarding GM foods because of the use of viruses and bacteria that are used. There is a risk of disease developing when consumed by humans. Another main concern is keeping the area with these GM plants contained. Spreading causes contamination in wildlife and land

owned by other people. Many GMO plants are engineered to become resistant to herbicides which are chemically made substances that target unwanted plants. This leaves other farmers and their land in trouble. GMO produced foods are controversial though they have benefits, it does harm humans and our ecosystem due to loss of biodiversity and effects on the environment, often sustainable methods of food production are best examined to limit environmental or health issues.
Soil erosion, copyright patents, lost of land for many farmers and herbicide resistant GMO crops are just some of the issues that affect our world socially, economically and environmentally. Soil erosion is a huge issue regarding the growth of GMO plants, because of the use of harmful herbicides that affect both the environment and proven health effects to humans . One controversial herbicide is Monsanto’s Roundup Weedkiller which has the ingredient Glyphosate and is still commonly used. Monsanto’s crops have got scientists thinking of the damages it could potentially do to the human body, and they have found that toxins in the crops are not only causing the risk of cancer, but also potential infertility and kidney failures . “Roundup is responsible for fuelling breast cancer by increasing the number of breast cancer cells through cell growth and cell division” (USNLOM, 2013 para.1).There are also many dangers found just by using Glyphosate which makes this harmful when farmers put Glyphosate to use. “When you ingest Glyphosate, you are in essence altering the chemistry of your body. It’s completely unnatural and the body doesn’t resonate with it” (USNLOM, 2013, para.8). More GM products are becoming superweeds, meaning they have a strong resistance to herbicides. This causes farmers to increase the use of herbicides without knowing the harmful dangers of herbicides to the environment, consumers and themselves. Monsanto’s Roundup Weedkiller herbicide harms the environment by causing fungal root disease in plants which causes soil to be weak due to loss of nutrients. Since Glyphosate is used in most herbicides this causes it to cling tightly to soil and can stay in soil for up to 6 months. This is determined by the type of soil and climate in the area. See figure 1 (Neptuya , 2013). Immense work is put into creating and producing GM products, which is why most companies have patents to protect them. Patent infringement is a huge issue which causes economic issues between farmers, companies and consumers. One example would be the raising of costs when GM seeds are placed on a patent, which would greatly affect farmers and especially developing and third world countries. Prices of GMO products can vary due to the different types of production levels, along with the choice and price of organic products which affect consumers. GM seeds, herbicides and other GM products cost farmers almost 50% of their profits starting from 2008. One of the main issues regarding our planet’s future is if we actually have enough food to sufficiently supply to future generations, the answer is that we cannot depend on GM foods alone.
GM crops are used worldwide from China, Africa, Mexico and many more. They are shown to benefit developing countries because of their strong defense against various viruses and rapid growth to provide food. Other third world countries would have to depend on mostly fertilizers to produce enough food to supply their families and communities, which could be difficult for poor countries. GM crops are being developed to survive through different climates, diseases, and infestation, which are showing sufficient chances of maintaining food sources worldwide. See figure 2 ( James, 2010 ). Farmers want less cost when producing food themselves but still want higher levels of value in the foods they sell and gain higher income when possible.
Solutions to stop the rapid rise of GM crops would be stopping the production of them from the very beginning.

This would mean to encourage governments to ban the use of GM technology and the import and export of GM crops. We should educate all ages about both the advantages and disadvantages of the use of GMOs. Germany, Greece, Hungary, Japan, Ireland are just some of the places in the world that have banned all GM products. As technology continues and GMOs keep involving, we have to make sure there is a safe solution to make sure we have enough food but also not increasing the dangers to the environment and humans. A non-profit organization known as Non GMO Project allows consumers to realize non-GM products from GM ones. Supporting different organizations such as The Center for Food Safety or Natural Solutions Foundation, can help bring awareness to the dangers of GMOs, or even by supporting your local farmers or growing crops yourself. This helps maintain healthy, organic and natural food consumption. Keeping in mind that purchasing organic foods can be expensive, depending on your own input it may not matter. Remember that the food we consume is one of the main factors to our health and life, that is why we need to make sure the food we eat is as natural as can

be.