At the Gates of an Environmental Holocaust essays

At the Gates of an Environmental Holocaust essays Big business is about to strike again. The biotech industry, in their on-going pursuit of the god almighty dollar, is about to create another casualty: the environment. Specifically, the environment will suffer dire consequences if the farming of genetically modified (GM) foods continues. Hundreds of thousands of altered organisms have already been planted, millions more are to come. Even though the biotech propaganda machine proclaims that it will be easy to maintain the segregation of altered seeds, two things will severely hamper their efforts. Mistakes are likely to be made, especially in the third world where the issues are not felt as keenly. Secondly, nature will have its say as winds blow GM pollen around the globe. As plants grow they require herbicides to kill weeds that would otherwise choke them. Many types of GM plants, with their uncanny ability to resist harm from certain herbicides, will allow farmers to use unrestrained amounts of herbicide with impunity. Annu al pesticide use statistics should tell the story, but the gene industry would have the public think otherwise with their foggy numbers claiming that in fact pesticide use is on a decline. As many know, plants will evolve. Though the GM crops may be identical season after season, weeds will, either though exposure to the herbicides or displacement of the herbicide-friendly gene, evolve to become superweeds. Thus requiring even stronger chemicals to waylay them. Worst still is the possibility that as hybrid plants spread throughout the world, biodiversity everywhere will be eroded or worse, destroyed. As these organisms are released into the environment, it becomes very difficult if not impossible to undo the damage when a side effect or flaw is discovered. Better that GM creators err on the side of caution. Then again the almighty dollar calls to them as cheese call to the rat. Proponents of the biotech industry have claimed in the past that ...