Impacts/Ethics Biotech

​Ethical Impacts of Genetic Engineering

Module G | Biotechnology

Essential Question

What are some ethical impacts of genetic engineering?

Impacts & Ethics of Biotechnology

Genetically Modified Crops
The four main biotech crops grown in the United States are soybeans, cotton, corn, and canola. The majority of US production of these crops is genetically modified for traits that are useful for commercial growers.

Genetically modified soybeans increased from 17% of US soybean acreage in 1997 to 94% by 2016. GM soybeans are herbicide tolerant, but not insect resistant.

Soybeans

GM cotton may carry a gene for herbicide tolerant, insect resistance, or both. The GM plants make up more than 90% of cotton planted in the US.

Cotton

Much like cotton, GM corn generally carries genes for herbicide tolerance and pest resistance. When counted as a group, GM corn varieties made up about 92% of corn acreage in 2016.

Corn

Canola
Canola is raised for oil in its seeds. Canola oil is used in foods and to make diesel fuel. Almost all canola crop plants in the US are genetically modified.

The Pros and Cons of Biotechnology

People have been selectively breeding crops for thousands of years. Using traditional methods, getting a useful result can take a long time. Biotechnology speeds up the process.

Today, biotechnology is used to genetically modify many of the foods people eat. In the United States, most of our soy, corn, cotton, and canola crops are genetically modified and some commercially raised animals are also. Let's look at the pros and cons.

The Pros and Cons of Biotechnology

​Pros of Biotechnology	​Cons of Biotechnology
​Improved Resistance: Genetically modified crops can gain greater resistance to environmental conditions that reduce yield, such as droughts and pests. Biotechnology speeds up the process of engineering.	​Cross Contamination: Pollen from GMO crops can reach nearby non-GMO fields through wind and pollinate them. This could introduce the new gene into the other farmer's fields without consent.
Improved Nutrition: Crops can be modified to contain nutrients needed by people or livestock. For example, non-GM corn does not contain lysine, an essential amino acid. GM corn has been engineered to include lysine in the kernels.	Gene Jumping to Other Plants: Genes can spread from GM plants to non-GM plants through plasmids or plant viruses. If the new gene spreads to weeds, it can make super weeds that cannot be eradicated easily.​
​Herbicides and Pesticides: Herbicide resistant crops allow producers to spray their weeds without killing the crop plants. Other GMO crops have been engineered to carry genes to resist crop pests and diseases.	​Fear: Some people do not want to eat genetically engineered foods due to concerns about possible allergic reactions to the new proteins being produced by the plant.

Show Mr. Buie your summary.