Potential benefits & risks - a summary
The ethical issues around GM crop technology are all very closely linked together, however they broadly fit into three areas:
Benefits and potential benefits
claimed by GM supporters | Potential risks claimed
by GM opponents |
|---|
Could help to feed the developing world | Will not be able to feed the world |
GM crops are more cost-effective | Could damage organic farmers |
Could benefit human health | May have unpredictable health risks |
Could reduce pesticide and herbicide use | Could increase herbicide and pesticide use |
Could help preserve natural habitats | Could reduce biodiversity |
| Mainly benefit big biotech companies |
| Raises ethical conflicts over the control of
food production. |
Task: Work out how each of the points in the table above connect to the three categories in the opening paragraph.
Task: Read the pages in this GM Crops section and find information to support each of the points in the table.
Not throwing out the baby with the bathwater
Any technology can be used for 'good' or 'bad'. Nuclear physics has led to both weapons to destroy and new forms of medicine to heal. GM crop technology is no different. Thus it is important to ask whether GM technology is in itself a problem, or whether it is specific applications of it that give rise to moral concerns.
What are the main uses of GM crop technology so far ?
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