The Inconvenient (and Misleading) Truth of GMOs

By Sean McGovern

The Inconvenient (and Misleading) Truth of GMOs
July 2014
                       
According to Al Baylacq, the co-owner of the independent Bay Area grocery store, Good Earth, it is nearly impossible to grow genetically modified organisms, “GMOs”, without having a serious impact on the environment. However, GMOs are increasingly touted as a viable solution to the world’s growing food needs.
                       
The World Health Organization is one of many organizations supporting these crops, stating that “No effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of ‘GMOs’”. However, There are a growing number of credible scientific studies that clearly demonstrate that GMOs are harmful to our health. (The results of many of these studies can be found at http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/04/08/10-scientific-studies-proving-gmos-can-be-harmful-to-human-health/) GMOs are also claimed by the biotech industry to create larger yields than organic crops, which makes them appear to be an increasingly attractive solution for our exponentially growing population. However,a recent US Department of Agriculture study at the University of Wisconsin essentially negated the "more food" argument as well. 


                   

To further evaluate the worth of these crops and weigh their benefits against their consequences, we must consider that each year, more pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals are required to keep weeds and bugs from wreaking havoc on the GMO crops. Hypothetically, if you needed 100 units per acre of these chemicals the first year just to keep your GMO monocrop alive, then you will need a 50% increase or 150 units per acre of chemicals on the same plot of land the following year, and so on. This is because the unwanted weeds and bugs evolve each season to survive in spite of the chemical barrage (unfortunately there is mounting evidence that plants and insects we find beneficial, like butterflies and bees, are not so hardy, and their populations are plummeting possibly because of GMOs). These resistant bugs and weeds- become “superbugs” and “superweeds”. Such organisms are immune to pesticides, much like many harmful viruses that are immune to antibiotics due to our overuse.
                       
The by-product of these harmful agricultural practices not only these super pests - but also “dead” soil onsite, while wind and water transport the poisonous chemicals to other ecosystems offsite. This all leads to a decline of biodiversity.

“In a true organic farm, you have biodiversity, you have variety, and you have a great amount of beneficial insects. In an organic farm, nature helps take care of things a farmer does not want, and you can’t get that with GMO monocropping- there is no diversity left, and there is no way to make it good for the planet,” according to Baylacq.
                       
Good Earth has worked for years to rid its shelves of any GMO foods, and has fought for California to pass laws like the most recent Prop 37, requiring the labeling of genetically altered crops. Yet even though over 93% of americans favor GMO labeling, according to a 2013 New York Times poll, Prop 37 was defeated in California.
                       
“It’s really easy for the political side of things to make the science work for whatever side you’re on. Politics can easily become mixed up with science on many different fronts,” says Baylacq. For example, “in the last three weeks leading up to passage of the bill, over $30 million dollars came in from industries that support GMOs - from Monsanto, from Dupont, and from the Grocers’ Association”. This statement is certainly supported by the contradictory claims of the benefits of GMOs by the biotech industry and the “scientific reports” that they back.
                       
These large companies often manipulate scientific findings to promote their interests and protect their revenue stream. It is hard to believe that these companies hide or downplay the serious impacts of GMO crops on the planet and our health. There is a plethora of proof that GMO’s are harmful in many ways. But even if there was simply unanswered questions about their potential harm, wouldn’t it be safer to hold back from releasing GMO crops and food into our society?

Unfortunately, GMO’s have been released without the proper review of their safety in the United States. While many countries and provinces have banned GMOs. (To see a full listof countries and provinces that have baned GMOs go to http://www.organicconsumers.org/gefood/countrieswithbans.cfm)

 Nature’s survival, and ours, rests upon our ability to feed ourselves with crops free of chemicals, and by supporting biodiversity. So to those convinced that genetically modified organisms arethe answer, it may be time to accept the inconvenient truth that GMOs have a negative impact on our health and our planet.
                       
By Sean McGovern, EarthScope Reporter