How do GMOs impact the environment?

What’s the relationship between genetics and the environment?

DNA holds the genetic code that every living thing is built from, but the environment also informs how things grow and develop. Think of identical twins — although they share the same DNA, they grow up with different tastes, interests, personalities and even physical appearance and health. 

So whether it’s how a person is raised or the climate a plant experiences in its particular location, individual organisms are determined by a combination of genetics and the environment. 

The environment can also affect DNA itself. Certain extreme events cause changes in the DNA. For example, sunburns can cause changes, called mutations, in the skin’s genetic code. While cells can generally repair this damage, too much sunlight and skin cell mutations can lead to an increased risk of skin cancer. Exposure to particular environments can alter the way genes (DNA segments) express themselves, a phenomenon called epigenetics. 

Do GMOs affect the environment?

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) affect the environment similarly to how any other organism does. All living things use some resources and replenish others, and GMOs are no different. 

In agriculture, specifically, GM crops do not themselves pollute land or water. Fertilizers and pesticides are applied to most GM and non-GM crops to secure the food supply, and some may be linked to pollution. Some GM crops, however, are genetically engineered to require fewer of these resources, which can benefit the environment. 

GM crops are able to breed with non-GM plants of the same species, which can occur if they are planted close together or if people and equipment accidentally carry pollen on them from one field to another. This may be a cause for concern only among growers who are producing for a non-GMO market. 

What is the role of GMOs in climate change?

The accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere essentially acts as a warm blanket for the Earth, trapping heat. This global warming affects everything from extreme temperatures to how much it rains or snows in any given area, impacting the health of humans, plants and animals alike.

Since GM crops often have a higher yield on less land, overall they use less fuel and produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Many scientists are using both traditional breeding methods and genetic engineering to make plants and animals more resilient under the threats of climate change to keep our food supply secure. Some GM corn is being made with a variety of drought-tolerant traits to protect crops where less water is available for irrigation. Rice is being genetically modified to withstand flooding for a longer period of time. 

Some crops are also being genetically modified to thrive in poor soils, using traits like salt tolerance for soils closer to oceans and nitrogen-use efficiency in soils where high temperatures impede nitrogen uptake. 

In animal production, one GM breed of beef cattle boasts a shorter, slicker coat to reduce the impact of heat on the animal’s health and well-being.