The measles resurgence has vaccines back in the headlines this Earth Day, but there’s another scientific breakthrough facing backlash that has the potential to undermine our collective well-being.
Getting published in your hometown paper is always a feather in your cap, and having grown up on a farm about 30 miles outside of Buffalo, NY, having a guest column in the Buffalo News is definitely a highlight.
In a new op ed I wrote for the Buffalo News, I note that GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, are not only a lot less scary than pop culture would lead you to believe — they are one of the most overlooked solutions to combating threats to our planet.
In my post, I highlight some of the benefits of genetically modified crops to sustainability and the environment:
In 2016 alone, growing GMO crops helped decrease CO2 emissions equivalent to taking 16.7 million cars off the road for an entire year. GMOs also reduce the amount of pesticides that need to be sprayed, while simultaneously increasing the amount of crops available to be eaten and sold. Over the last 20 years, GMOs have reduced pesticide applications by 8.2% and helped increase crop yields by 22%.
So as we all pause to think about the impacts we are all having on the Earth, it is important to remember that there a myriad of ways that we can help the environment. Avoiding plastic straws may be one way that people are trying to help, but allowing farmers to plant GMO crops to help preserve soil, conserve water, and reduce carbon emissions is another way. Many avenues of attack to solve this problem are welcome, and all tools are needed if we're going to save the planet.
To learn more about how GMOs help the environment, please visit GMO Answers.
