5 ms·
The use of pesticides in non-GMO crops is likely one of the major factors for a modern extinction event. There's been a 75% decline in the total biomass of flyi
by thaumaturgy 9y ago
The use of pesticides in non-GMO crops is likely one of the major factors for a modern extinction event. There's been a 75% decline in the total biomass of flying insects over the last 27 years (http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0185809 http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal....). This is affecting the entire ecosystem.
GMO crops can be engineered to be pest resistant, requiring far less use of pesticides, without harming the crop's suitability for human consumption.
Ignorance on this issue is destroying ecosystems in agricultural areas.
- diyseguy 9y agohttp://news.cornell.edu/stories/1999/04/toxic-pollen-bt-corn-can-kill-monarch-butterflies http://news.cornell.edu/stories/1999/04/toxic-pollen-bt-corn...
- thaumaturgy 9y agoOkay, so pollen from Bt corn is lethal to monarch butterfly caterpillars. Meanwhile, pesticides are killing off 75% of all flying insects. I like monarchs, but if I had to choose between a world with no monarchs, and a world with no monarchs and also just 25% of the flying insect biomass we had 30 years ago and also fewer birds and everything else that consumes insects and all of the beneficial pollination that those 75% of insects would have accounted for ... well, that seems like a pretty easy choice to me. Gene editing would also provide an avenue for a different approach here, where the crop could be made resistant to its costliest pests without harming monarchs. Good luck doing that through cross-breeding.
- AstralStorm 9y agoBut can we live in a world where food is 1000% though? That would be the result of getting rid of pesticides and insecticides...