Bryan Walsh: Modifying the endless debate over genetically modified crops

The following is an edited excerpt.

I’ll admit—I’ve never quite understood the obsession surrounding genetically modified (GM) crops.

To environmentalist opponents, GM foods are simply evil, an understudied, possibly harmful tool used by big agribusiness to control global seed markets and crush local farmers. They argue that GM foods have never delivered on their supposed promise, that money spent on GM crops would be better funneled to organic farming and that consumers should be protected with warning labels on any products that contain genetically modified ingredients.

To supporters, GM crops are a key part of the effort to sustainably provide food to meet a global population that is growing by the billions. But more than that, supporters see the knee-jerk GM opposition of many environmentalists as fundamentally anti-science, no different than the deniers on the other side of the political spectrum who question the basics of man-made climate change.

Read the original article in its entirety here: Modifying the Endless Debate Over Genetically Modified Crops

 

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