Sci 207 - Dependence of Man on the Environment

SCI207: Dependence of Man on the Environment

Instructor Walter Lambert

August 22, 2011

Introduction:

Engineered food may be the solution to end world hunger but it is one of the most

Controversial statements. Today's society has shown more interest in genetic

engineered food and it has become a focus of media attention. There are supporters of

Biotechnology, the guarantee and maintaining of food supply for every country and

person on earth is the focus in their supporting genetic engineered food. Our word

continues to populate yet our Earth is not able to heal quickly enough to keep us

supplied with food. But as with every argument there is the other side, the concerns that

stem from genetically customized foods. Our society consumes more engineered foods

than we realize, but yet we question how safe is these products and even more so do we

need to produce engineered foods; these are all questions that will be discussed in this

paper.

"The science of indirectly manipulating an organism's genes using the techniques

like molecular cloning and transformation to alter the structure and nature of genes is

called genetic engineering. Genetic engineering can bring about a great amount of

transformations in the characteristics of an organism by the manipulation of DNA, which

is like the code inscribed in every cell determining how it functions. Like any other

science, genetic engineering also has pros and cons. Let us look at some of them."

Sir John Beddington, the government's chief scientist stated it is ethically and

morally tolerable for genetically modified crops to continue in the developing world.

Hey says this is "a perfect storm" that the world must face. The issues that could

possibly lead to extensive food shortages and turbulence in society within the next

several decades. This warning stems from the most recent riots resulting from food

shortages in North Africa and an increasingly global anxiety about rising food cost.

He also stated that "a number of very important factors are about to change our world",

as he is credible authority in biology. The population is increasing by over six million

people each month and at this rate will reach over nine million by the year 2050. The

prediction that by the year 2030 more than half of the total population will no longer

live in suburbs but live in cities, not growing gardens or cattle. Our society is becoming

more affluent, able to pay for food products not depending on growing their own, is

another factor in his predictions. His ideas are that the world will need more than forty

percent more food, fifty percent more energy and thirty percent more water by the

middle of the century and all of this during a time when global warming is taking a toll.

The increase of recourses needed is only going to cost the earth more and our

environment is going to change the climate more and temperatures will get higher, there

will be more flooding and spreading deserts. The fact is we could continue to chop down

trees and destroy the rain forest to plant more crops but this will only increase the global

warming process making life more unbearable in the end. We need certain regions of

the world to consume carbon dioxide in order for us to live comfortably. Beddington

believes that every measure to produce food should be employed in order to save our

environment, this is just one of the advantages of genetically modified foods. One of the

other most critical advantages are genetically modified foods help control some diseases.

Foods that cause allergic reactions to some people can be modified to eliminate the DNA

that causes the reaction, such as peanuts for example. The fact that genetically modified

foods contain a higher amount of nutrients, minerals and vitamins than the traditional

foods are another huge advantage for people choicing genetically engineered products.

They also have a longer shelf life expectancy meaning there is

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