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Bain, C.; Dandachi, T. Governing GMOs: The (Counter) Movement for Mandatory and Voluntary Non-GMO Labels. Sustainability 2014, 6, 9456-9476. https://doi.org/10.3390/su6129456

CBAN. “Environmental Impacts - CBAN.” Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, CBAN, 2022, https://cban.ca/gmos/issues/environmental-impacts/. Accessed 29 May 2022.

Chung, Emily. “Monarch butterfly decline linked to spread of GM crops.” CBC, Canadian Broadcasting Company, 5 June 2014, https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/monarch-butterfly-decline-linked-to-spread-of-gm-crops-1.2665131. Accessed 29 May 2022.

Iyizoba, Nini. “The dangers of genetically modified foods | The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News — Features — The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News.” The Guardian Nigeria News, The Guardian, 1 December 2016, https://guardian.ng/features/the-dangers-of-genetically-modified-foods/. Accessed 29 May 2022.

Kognity. “Assessment of the risks of the genetic modification of crops.” Kognity, Kognity, 2022, https://app.kognity.com/study/app/dp-biology-sl-2023/sid-64-cid-138918/book/assessment-risks-of-genetic-modification-of-crops-id-4937. Accessed 29 May 2022.

Mount Sinai. “Beta-carotene Information.” Mount Sinai, Mount Sinai, 2022, https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/beta-carotene. Accessed 29 May 2022.

O'Brien, Miles, director. GMO debate grows over golden rice in the Philippines. PBS, 2014. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayv_EYi43E8. Accessed 29 May 2022.

Raman, Ryan. “GMOs: Pros and Cons, Backed by Evidence.” Healthline, 2 July 2020, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/gmo-pros-and-cons#pros. Accessed 29 May 2022.

The Non-GMO Project. “What is a GMO?” The Non-GMO Project, The Non-GMO Project, 2016, https://www.nongmoproject.org/gmo-facts/what-is-gmo/. Accessed 29 May 2022.

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A GMO is any organism whose genetic makeup has been modified using genetic engineering or transgenic technology. The results of this are things that do not occur in nature or crossbreeding methods (The Non-GMO)

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- GMO food comprises about 55%-75% of processed foods in supermarkets around the world (Iyizoba)
- There is a 5% chance monarch butterflies will be driven nearly to extinction over the next century as a result of GMOs (Chung)

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GMOs can benefit the human race. Genetic modification of crops and animals has been happening in the selective breeding of certain species for hundreds of years. On the other hand, GMOs that are man-made take it a step further. Instead of selecting for existing genome variations, the GMOs we see today create totally new genomes that would have never naturally occurred (Iyizoba).  Because of how far our biotechnology has advanced, things like gene transfer could have dire consequences and are potentially more harmful than selective breeding (CBAN). Before the genetically modified organism can be sold, scientists must assess the environmental, health, and agricultural risks in depth (Bain). Once the products are on the market, there is no going back, and whatever consequences happen, reside in society.

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1. Harm to human health
2. Damage to environment
4. Corporate dominance

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- Exposure to new genes and their protein products could have impacts and damage (Kognity)
- GMOs can introduce possible allergic reactions and damage to mutualistic probiotic bacteria in the digestive system (Iyizoba)
- GMOs have been found to cause infertility: Studies done on animals showed that more than half of the babies of GM-fed mother rats died within 3 weeks (Iyizoba)
- The longer the mice were fed GM foods, the less babies they had and the smaller the babies were (Iyizoba)
- GM-fed rats had uterus and ovary changes: by the 3rd generation, they were unable to have babies (Iyizoba)
- Approx. 2 dozen US farms reported that GM-fed pigs or cows developed sterility and could not reproduce (Iyizoba)
- In March 2015, World Health Organization classified glycophosphate as carcinogenic (Glycophosphate is a toxin that is greatly used in GMO foods and has been linked to many illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, Autism, breast cancer, and prostate cancer (Iyizoba)
- Rats that were given GM potatoes showed damaged livers, and when the rats were given non-GM foods instead, their liver went back to normal (Iyizoba)
- GMO foods have the ability to make certain bacteria resistant to some antibiotics, resulting in increased spread of infections (Iyizoba)
- Ex/ genetically modified maize plant from Novartis includes an ampicillin-resistant gene. If this gene moves from the corn into bacteria, it will make ampicillin an ineffective drug in fighting bacterial infections (Iyizoba)

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There is a lot to be concerned about regarding GMOs to say the least. Throughout my research process, I was flooded with information regarding mostly the negative effects of GMOs, and the majority of sources told me the same things. Throughout the last 20 years or so, scientists have learned about new negative effects of GMOs, and the concern continues to increase along with production. Still today there are new facts and evidence being found to support an argument against the use of GMOs whether it is in crops, animals, etc.

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- GMO crops have a longer shelf-life (Kognity)
- They have less loss of food to environmental issues like disease, herbivores, and frost (Kognity)
- Businesses make a greater profit while prices are usually lower for consumers (Kognity)
- This helps lower-income families afford more food
- The biotechnology companies that are responsible for manufacturing these genetically engineered foods claim that it will help increase the supply of food which will help eradicate hunger (Bain)

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1. Positive traits added to crops
2. Economic advantages
3. Environmental advantages

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- Genetic modification can increase the nutritional value of foods (Kognity)
- Ex/ rice high in beta carotene, also called golden rice, was developed to help prevent blindness in regions where local diets are chronically deficient in vitamin A (Kognity)
- Golden rice will be further discussed in its own section
- GMOs can also help the taste of foods, such as the non-browning apple (Raman)
- They have also been known to change the colour of foods to make them look more appealing, which can benefit businesses (Raman)

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Environmental Damage And Monarch Butterflies

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Environmental Damage And Monarch Butterflies

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- Increased Herbicide Use: the recent increase in GM herbicide-tolerant crops has increased the use of herbicides such as glyphosate. Herbicide sales in Canada rose by 199% between 1994 and 2016. (Chung)
- The use of specific herbicides with genetically modifed herbicide-tolerant crops has led to the evolution of “superweeds,” (weeds that can no longer be killed by those herbicides) (Chung)
- In the past 20 years 37 weed species have developed resistance to the glyphosate (Chung)
- Some insects in Canada and around the world have developed resistance to the toxins in genetically modified insect-resistant crops (Chung)
- Contamination from GMOs has serious ecological, economic and social impacts (Chung)
- Gene flow from genetically modified crops poses a threat to natural crop relatives and organic farming (Chung)
- GMOs' unnatural ingredients can spread to other crops and animals, meaning that you never truly know what you are consuming, whether or not there is an 'organic' sticker in the food (CBAN)
- This dispersal can occur in a number of ways, including pollen spread and seed escape, and mixing of food and feed (CBAN)
- The use of some GM crops can have negative impacts on non-target organisms and on soil and water ecosystems (CBAN)
- Ex/ the expansion of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant corn and soy (which are twinned with herbicides) has destroyed much of the habitat of the monarch butterfly in North America (CBAN)
- The main cause of the monarch butterfly's decline is the loss of its food, milkweed, in its breeding grounds
- If this milkweed loss continues, monarch populations will fall at least another 14% (Chung)
- Farmers have been increasingly planting corn and soybeans resistant to herbicides, and then applying those herbicides in large quantities on their fields (Chung)
- These herbicides kill off plants between the rows of crops that aren't resistant like milkweed (Chung)
- This is just one example of a species in the world being negatively impacted by GMOs (Chung)

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- Not all nations and farmers can access GMO technology (Kognity)
- There has been increased inequality between large farms and family or subsistence farms in regards to pest attacks and production of food (Kognity)
- Ex/ Monsanto, the major GMO company, sues farmers for planting GM seeds saved from the previous season, which Monsanto forbids. (Kognity)
- Some smaller farmers near large GMO farms have very high numbers of pests in their fields causing extensive damage
- Major food and agriculture corporations are opposed to mandatory GMO labels and have successfully defeated most of these initiatives (CBAN)
- This means that people will have a much harder time identifying GMO foods in stores, therefore leading to an increased risk of being exposed to the dangers of GMOs (CBAN)

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Environmental Advantages (A Short Story)

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Environmental Advantages (A Short Story)

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- Higher yields mean less land is needed for farming, leaving more natural ecosystem (Kognity)
- Less pesticide needs to be sprayed (Kognity)
- There is a proven drop in sprayed pesticides on farms using Bt potatoes (if the pests evolve resistance this advantage may disappear) (Kognity)

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This is a comparatively shorter section than the concerns. It is clear to see that there is much more to discuss when talking about the downsides of using GMOs. The positives were hard to find, and every source that talked about positives, had more to say about negatives. In short, consumers should continue to be very aware of what they are purchasing, and should develop a better understanding of GMOs and how increasingly popular they are becoming. They need to realize like I did, that there are not a ton of upsides, and when there are upsides, they usually apply to extremely specific scenarios. For example, the golden rice discussed in the positive traits section only applies to an area that is suffering from a lack of vitamin A. Also, the economic advantage of cheaper food is only a concern for a specific group of people (low-income) and does not represent the population as a whole in an effective way. Although these positives should be taken into consideration, it seems as though the cons outweigh the pros.

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Golden Rice - Looking into a real-life situation of ethics and GMOs

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Golden Rice - Looking into a real-life situation of ethics and GMOs

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Vitamin A deficiency is extremely common in third world countries, especially the Philippines. This deficiency has been responsible for thousands of deaths, most commonly among malnourished children and pregnant mothers. At least 500,000 children and about 300,000 women go blind or die due to this lack of vitamin (O-Brien). The best sources of vitamin A are the meats and vegetables that are often unavailable or too expensive for families to purchase, and they are rarely ever a part of the daily diet in the third world. People in the third world and scientists are trying to find a way to add vitamin A to the daily staple food: rice. 40 miles south of Manila, Philippines, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have multiple large rice fields. The fields are filled with various strains of rice that increase yield, are flood and insect tolerant, and are all derived through conventional breeding techniques (O-Brien). Golden rice, however, differs from all other types. The scientists and farmers take aspects from the corn plants, which have beta-carotene that will be transferred into the rice. The end goal is to develop a rice variety that contains this beta-carotene, and eventually, the result is that the beta-carotene will give the rice its golden colour. Beta-carotene is found in many fruits and vegetables such as carrots and others (Mount). It is not a coincidence that your parents told you to eat carrots to help your eyesight. This beta-carotene is supposed to give people the perfect amount of vitamin A (after the human body converts beta-carotene to vitamin A) to have the tools for healthy eyesight and a healthy body (Mount). This is why the transfer of beta-carotene into the golden rice is so important for vitamin A deficient areas. The reason people can actually die from vitamin A deficiency is that it presents a lack of immunity. Therefore, if people in the Philippines for example, were to get diarrhea, measles, or other sicknesses that spread fairly rapidly in the third world, their reactions would be incredibly severe (O-Brien).

Although this all sounds like sunshine and rainbows, there are multiple environmental activists who are against this idea, even despite the benefits it has for the third world. One of the main reasons these activists are afraid of the GMOs in the area is that they have the potential to contaminate other crops. "Greenpeace" activist of Southeast Asia, Daniel Ocampo, is very afraid of this contamination, and the fact that once the GMO molecules spread, there is no way to truly know if what you are eating has been contaminated or not (O-Brien). "We are not afraid of the science, but we're concerned about the long-term impacts on the environment and human health. Because there is no proof that they're (GMOs) safe," explains Ocampo in an interview with PBS. "There is no profit motive here. Our motivations are purely for the good of mankind," says Bruce Tolentino (IRRI) in the same interview with PBS, defending his GMO non-profit effort. Environmental scientist Chito Medina is trying to push the idea that you do not need to consume GMOs to help fight vitamin A deficiency. Instead, he suggests a more rare type of black rice or fruits like mangos (O-Brien). At the end of the day, the problem still remains that poorer populations cannot afford what is rare and expensive (O-Brien).

There are many discussions about whether or not the pros outweigh the cons in specific and isolated situations like this one. There is no correct answer, and there is no good and evil sides in this fight. It seems as though the people applying genetic modifications are putting people first, whereas the people against the golden rice may believe that the long-term impacts on the environment are more of a concern. It is truly a difficult decision to make. Which side do you stand by?

QUIZ LINK: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/17J7456pDMQkZRHfik_SLXZXpqxkPiuki0djpFGaMFCo