Persuasive Essay: Should GMO Be Banned?

1716 Words4 Pages

Over time, the human species has applauded themselves for their advances in things like science, technology, medicine, and engineering. However, with every step forward is a step back – many people have become resistant to the changes that the future brings, and many are afraid that these scientific advancements are giving us too much power and ultimately uprooting us from our relationship with nature. This love-hate relationship has most recently been cast upon GMO 's, as there 's been a lot of controversy about whether or not they 're something that we should ban entirely. Many people who are strongly opposed to GMO 's dislike them because they don 't have a full picture of the facts, or are simply misunderstanding the meaning of the term. …show more content…

GMO 's provide us with the increased amounts of food that we need to feed an constantly growing population. As Nobel Prize laureate, Dr Norman E. Borlaug puts it: "There is no evidence to indicate that biotechnology is dangerous. After all, mother nature has been doing this kind of thing for God knows how long,". (Tervil Okoko, AgBioWorld) GMO 's have been around for far longer than people give them credit for – and in fact many of the foods we 've grown to love today like apples, bananas, grapes, and potatoes have all been modified for ease of human consumption. GMO 's reduce the amount of land needed in order to plant crops, as they produce crops of the same size with more yield than non-genetically engineered food. GMO 's allow for more nutritious, resilient, and better tasting food. There are currently no credible studies proving that the use of rDNA can lead to health defects in humans, and genetically engineered foods go through more rigorous testing than non-GMO 's. Contrary to the statistics, GMO 's are currently being developed to reduce pesticide use through intrinsic pest resistance – and a German study that was published on PLOS even concluded that “On average, GM technology adoption has reduced chemical pesticide use by 37%, increased crop yields by 22%, and increased farmer profits by 68%” (Wilhelm Klümper & Matin Qaim, PLOS). GMO 's can even help us fight back against climate change, as it allows the creation of crops resistant to severe weather – like droughts, which California (one of the best sources for crops in the nation) is currently experiencing with no particular end date in sight. Additionally, because of the aforementioned factors, GMO 's can be used to fight back against world hunger. They 're produced in mass quality, are cheaper, and more durable than non-genetically modified foods – in short, they 're an incredibly

Show More
Related

  • Genetically Modified Foods Argumentative Essay

    1272 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to an article titled “Genetically Modified Foods Eaten” regularly by Linda A. Johnson today, essentially 40% of the foods we eat are genetically modified, unless you eat organic foods and/or you grow your own. Most products containing corn, soil, canola oil, or cottonseed oil contain genetic modification. One of the biggest genetic modification company is Monsanto (Johnson). She goes on to say many Americans don’t even know they are consuming genetically engineered foods. In “Genetically Modified Foods Confuse Consumers” by Mary Clare Jalonick writing in the Washington Times, has talked about how this is because the FDA does not require them to be labeled. Jalonick has said, “Genetically modified foods are plants or animals that have

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Genetically Modified Foods

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    Because of the increase in population, products need to be manufactured in a faster and more efficient way, and with genetically modified foods, the food is larger in size and quicker to harvest. Another advantage of GM foods is that it uses less fertilizer and less water and is more resistant to insects, diseases, frost, and drought. Consumers would not want to eat food that has been treated with pesticides because of possible health hazards and growing GM foods can help eliminate the use of chemical pesticides. Plants that are genetically engineered to resist strong herbicide will help prevent environmental damage by reducing the amount of herbicides needed. This will benefit both the companies and the environment because the production cost is reduced and the danger of agricultural waste run-off is limited. As more land is being used for housing instead of food production, crops need to adapt to locations unsuited

    Read More

  • The Choice Of Food: The Power Of Choice

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    Our attitudes toward GMO foods range from hostility to indifference. GMO foods, like pesticide-resistant Roundup Ready soybeans and fast-growing salmon, seem to exist primarily to pad corporate pockets. Most people are not aware that they are eating GMO foods. The greater percentage of the population is just looking at the price tag instead of what is in the food product. This technology has the potential to provide sustainable nutrient rich food sources throughout the ages if the science is not abused for the food industry’s

    Read More

  • Gmo Persuasive Speech

    1022 Words  | 3 Pages

    How many of you hear the words “genetically modified food” and immediately think “BAD”? How many of you scorn the idea that genetically modified foods are useful? How many of you have been manipulated by the media to think that all biotechnology is evil? Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms that have been genetically spliced to achieve a certain trait. As the demand for a larger food supply is increasing due to population growth, the benefits that GMO foods provide are being hailed as the only solution to the food crisis. However, many people are making inadequately informed decisions, and are pushing them to the back shelf. I will inform you on why genetically modified organisms may be the only way to a stable, safe future for the less fortunate.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Non Gmo

    633 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin with, there is too much Gmo in our food. We should make less foods with GMO and grow more foods on farms. Also a lot of people prefer non GMO foods over GMO foods. If we also make more of our food on farms we can get more people to get jobs. “ GM critics also worry that transgenic crops could harm wildlife and cause lasting damage to fragile food chains. GM crops harm wildlife. Since some birds and small mammals feed on these crops they will soon disappear. They will disappear because they are making the crops

    Read More

  • Genetically Modified Food (GMOs): Annotated Bibliography

    2902 Words  | 6 Pages

    Genetically modified food’s, or GMOs, goal is to feed the world's malnourished and undernourished population. Exploring the positive side to GMOs paints a wondrous picture for our planet’s future, although careful steps must be taken to ensure that destruction of our ecosystems do not occur. When GMOs were first introduced into the consumer market they claimed that they would help eliminate the world’s food crisis by providing plants that produced more and were resistant to elemental impacts like droughts and bacterial contaminants, however, production isn’t the only cause for the world’s food crisis. Which is a cause for concern because the population on the earth is growing and our land and ways of agriculture will not be enough to feed everyone sufficiently. No simple solutions can be found or applied when there are so many lives involved. Those who are hungry and those who are over fed, alike, have to consider the consequences of Genetically Modified Organisms. Food should not be treated like a commodity it is a human necessity on the most basic of levels. When egos, hidden agendas, and personal gains are folded into people's food sources no one wins. As in many things of life, there is no true right way or wrong way to handle either of the arguments and so many factors are involved that a ‘simple’ solution is simply not an option.

    Read More

  • Genetically Modified Organisms Are Bad

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    Did you know the food that you could be eating right now can be harmful to you? The food that you eat daily can contain GMOs that can contain things that can cause you to have allergies and even cause you to get cancer sometimes. GM crops can be harmful and dangerous for you. Another reason why GM crops are inadequate is because it can decrease biodiversity of plants and crops, and it can destroy rare species of plants. It can harm organisms that you might not mean to kill. Some people may say that GM crops can stop world hunger. IT WILL NOT! Research shows that some GM crops can not meet the nutritional needs of a human being. It will also not help solve world hunger because some GM crops need many resources to be able for them to produce into healthy crops and poor farmers don’t have much resources.

    Read More

  • Genetically Modified Foods Persuasive Essay

    473 Words  | 1 Pages

    Genetically modified foods are developed by combining genes from two different organisms which alters it's DNA and do not occur naturally. Biotechnology is relatively new so like most people, I turned to research to argue this issue with facts. In my opinion, genetically modifying foods have more harmful effects than they do beneficial. I am against their use because it creates safety risks for our health and animals, it can damage the environment and we have to deal with the total costs.

    Read More

  • Genetic Engineering Essay

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    In a feeble attempt to cure world hunger scientists developed GMOs, or 'genetically-modified organisms', which are genetically enhanced crop plants created for human consumption, and although GMOs were initially designed to benefit the world, it appears as though they are doing as much harm as they are good. Originally, GMOs were designed to c...

    Read More

  • GMO Argumentative Essay

    925 Words  | 2 Pages

    The term GM foods or GMO (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques (Whitman, 2000). These plants have been modified in the laboratory to offer desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. Also, genetic engineering techniques have been applied to create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and accurately. For example, this is done by the geneticist isolating the gene responsible for drought tolerance and inserts it into another plant. The new genetically-modified plant will now have gained drought tolerance as well.

    Read More

  • Essay On Gmo Food Pros And Cons

    1107 Words  | 3 Pages

    GMOs have their pros and cons, but in terms of their effects on biodiversity, the technology is almost solely negative in how it affects the environment. Genetically modified food can damage agriculture as it allows for less restraint on chemical usage which leads to stronger weeds and weaker soil. The crops can easily spread their genetically modified genome through the wind. GMOs damage living organisms by making nasty insects stronger and vital insects weaker. GM foods are correlated with the decline in mammal and bird health and the introduction of GM animals like salmon poses a threat to the ecosystem of wild fish. GMOs can also bear consequences in terms of genetic pollution and alteration through contamination and mutation to adaptation to evolution to species extinction. Indeed, some claims are not well supported and may require testing, like genetic alteration through consumption or the validity of correlating animal health deficits with GM feeds. However, overall, GM foods clearly affect the world negatively in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem impacts.

    Read More

  • Genetically Modified Organisms

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    Scientists have been changing genomes of plants and animals by integrating new genes from a different species through genetic engineering, creating a genetically modified organism (GMO). Consumers in America have been eating GMOs since 1996, when they went on the market. There are benefits to genetically modifying crop plants, as it improves the crop quality and increases yield, affecting the economy and developing countries. But there are also negative effects from GMOs. Consumption of GMOs has various health effects on both body systems of animals and humans. GMOs also affect the environment, ecosystems and other animal species. The cons outweigh the pros in the case of GMOs.

    Read More

  • Negative Effects of GMOs

    846 Words  | 2 Pages

    If crops were affected by droughts, disease and insects, having destroyed many acres across America’s Midwest region, the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) would not be beneficial in regenerating new crops. Genetically modifying foods (GMOs) “are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding” (nongmoproject.org). Most research done has concluded no positive benefits in using GMOs. There are serious health risks associated with eating GM foods based on scientific research done around the world. The purpose of GMOs are to increase production of crop yield and reduce pesticide use but research says otherwise. If farmers wanted to continue using GMOs to produce crops, labeling should be mandatory to allow consumers to have a conscious choice whether or not to eat GM food. Through research it has been proven that the use of GMOs to increased production of crops during a time of drought or disease have no benefits, just risks.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: Why Do Farmers Use Gmos?

    1565 Words  | 4 Pages

    Why Farmers Use GMOs Everyone in today's society hears about GMOs and thinks that they are a bad product. Well that is not really the case, people have just put a bad name on GMOs. They are actually very beneficial to society. Now some may ask, what are GMOs? It stands for genetically modified organisms, they are used to make bigger, more developed products.

    Read More

  • Gmo Pros And Cons Essay

    1264 Words  | 3 Pages

    The current use of technology for GMOs is very useful. Less pesticide is needed to be used for insect pest resistant plants. Technology cuts down on the time it takes to grow a crop. Technology can produce more food for less work and less money. “GM crops are frequently perceived as a ‘technological fix’, proposed by those who fail to address the underlying causes of hunger and poverty, which really require economic, political and social change” (Nuffield Bioethics 29).

    Read More

More about Persuasive Essay: Should GMO Be Banned?

Open Document