Negative Essay: Why Are GMO Are Good?

1012 Words3 Pages

Despite the many benefits of GMOs, they are a topic of debate among all different groups throughout the world. Because people do not know much about GMOs, most tend to say that they are bad because that is what the media is telling them. Also, it is extremely difficult for any person to be openly pro-GMO because the media creates “an extremely skeptical public atmosphere” (Katzek, 2014, p. 179). A person’s belief in GMOs causes harm to his or her public appearance. Peoples controversial opinions should not be a reason that society shuns them, especially if their arguments are completely accurate and factual. Despite societal challenges, it is of the utmost importance that people base their decisions on facts rather than the popular vote. …show more content…

GMO’s help the environment and they do not deplete natural resources. Scientists can genetically modify seeds to resist disease and pests. With these resistant seeds, farmers reduce their use of pesticides and herbicides. A pesticide is a chemical that farmers apply to their crops to kill off the bugs and diseases that harm the plants. An herbicide, on the other hand, is a different type of chemical that farmers utilize and it specifically attacks the invasive weeds. These are important to agriculture because without some sort of barrier, whether it is a chemical or a specific gene in the DNA, outside influences can injure the plant or take away the essential nutrients in the soil. Studies show that GMOs decrease “the use of pesticides…by 581.4 million kg of active ingredient relative to the amount reasonably expected” if farmers plant the same land area with non-GM crops, and “the environmental impact associated with herbicide and insecticide use on these crops, as measured by the EIQ indicator, improved by 18.5% (Brookes & Barfoot, 2016, p. 92). The Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ) is a measuring tool that the researchers use in their studies of GMOs to determine the effects on the environment. It is more accurate than other measuring strategies because determining effects of pesticides varies with the level of toxicity for each product farmers use, and the EIQ accounts for these …show more content…

No one wants to open an ear of corn to find a big, green, worm in the top. GM seeds protect themselves from hungry bugs that want to eat them. Even if a farmer sprays a non-GM crop with pesticides, there are still worms that find their way to the easy meal. With GMOs, there is no question of who gets to devour the product, the answer is always the consumer, not the pest. Farmers cut their losses with GMOs and reduce their overall costs of sprays. In addition, most people agree that produce containing bugs is not fit to eat. With GMOs, people can avoid this problem and essentially waste less food. GMOs preserve both the environment and peoples’

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