For years naturalists and scientists alike have observed the decline of the monarch butterfly, honey bees and bumble bees and wondered why their populations were declining so rapidly. Recent studies have found that the current global phenomenon of pollinator decline is largely due to genetically modified crops.
GM crops have been widely used in the United States since 1996 with corporations like Monsanto and Bayer leading the introduction of seeds to farmers that have been modified on the molecular level. This is not the traditional method of cross breading to form hybrid plant species. The new generation of genetic manipulation is done by taking genes from one plant that may not be even remotely similar to the crop plant and injecting it into the plant tissue of a seed or by infecting the seeds with a bacteria that carries the new DNA, stimulating the seed to accept the new genetic material.
The Monsanto seeds have also been treated with their special blend of herbicides and supplied to corn farmers in the United States mid-western region. These "round-up ready" seeds have been linked directly to the decline in monarch butterfly populations in the past fifteen years. Monarch butterflies are dependent on one type of plant to reproduce, the milkweed plant. They only lay their eggs on these plants, and their caterpillars only eat the leaves of these plants. The milkweed is vital to a healthy monarch butterfly population and until the late 1990's corn fields and the surrounding areas were abundant with milkweed. But, being a weed, this plant has nearly disappeared from the mid-western United States since these weed resistant crops were introduced, endangering the survival of the iconic monarch butterfly. Read more about these studies here.
Bayer has been supplying seeds to farmers infused with neonicotinoid pesticides so that the plant itself has a pesticide built into its vascular system. This pesticide stays with the plant even during pollination, which is lethal to pollinators such as bees and butterflies. During planting and pollination, neonicotinoid pesticide is released, bees carry the neonic-infused pollen back to their hives which damages their immune systems and homing abilities. This makes them more susceptible to mites which have long been suspected as being the culprit for the bee population decline. Read more about these new studies here.
What is particularly disturbing is that the FDA blindly accepted scientific research that was funded by Bayer into the effects of the Bayer seeds and approved its usage without an independent study or doing its own research. Similarly, the USDA is speeding up the approval process of newly genetically modified plants for the competitive advantage of companies like Monsanto and DuPont, possibly at the risk of the health of people and the ecosystem. Read more here.
What many supporters of genetically modified crops say, is that due to the modifications, we are able to grow more crops and have less losses due to pests. This is somewhat true, crop yields have risen but we may only be postponing the problem. The EPA has recently found that Monsanto's "roundup ready" corn has become inadequate in dealing with rootworm. The worms have evolved to be immune to the pesticide laden plants. Read more here.
Given that our food supply is dependent on these pollinators, and that the genetically modified crops are the likely cause of their decline, the higher crop yields may only be a temporary boon to our food supply issues. If the decline of insect pollinators continues, genetically modified crops will no longer be the answer to our food security. What should be happening is more laboratory testing of real world conditions to see the full ramifications of these genetic manipulations. But, what has happened is the influence of big business and the agriculture lobby in Washington has bypassed good science and rushed headlong into using an unproven technology, one that could have a devastating effect on the future of our food supply.
The reason for needing higher crop yields are obvious. We are an exploding population of 7 billion, with a projected 9 billion by 2060. We urgently need to curb our population growth. Nine billion people on this planet is not sustainable and continuing on this path will put unprecedented pressures on the environment and all of the living things that share this world with us. Industrialized and genetically modified farming is a byproduct of our overpopulation crisis. If we address the overpopulation issue, genetically engineering crops and producing stronger insecticides may not be necessary.
The ecosystem is a dependent web of interactions between organisms. One cannot expect to meddle with one thing (like genetically modifying crops or allowing human overpopulation) and expect that this will not have larger unforeseen consequences later on. We are not omniscient, we cannot possibly work out all of the variables in such a complex system such as the ecosystems on this planet. The best we can do is try to find a balance with our environment, our existence is dependent on it.
No comments:
Post a Comment