Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard
GMO have dubious benefits and the risks are fairly large:
Chemical fertilizers and pesticides and herbicides are totally unsustainable - because they use finite resources, and they kill off the natural processes in the soil *that we completely depend on*. This method of farming causes huge erosion problems and it poisons our water and causes dead zones in the ocean and contribute about 20% of our overall greenhouse gas emissions. And, we are using up the available deep aquifers, as well.
We cannot continue factory farming; for many reasons. GMO's are case-in-point to what we are doing wrong.
Climate change is forcing our hand, by making it obvious that we are farming in an unsustainable way.
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Again, though... resistance to chemicals is only one use of GM techniques... and any issues with the chemicals is not limited to GMOs. Neither are they used exclusively with GMOs.
GM has the potential to "fix" issues with current crop breeds, whose natural resistances to diseases, toxins and harsh environments have been bred out over millenia of overbreeding.
Don't blame the technique for issues with industrial farming in general.