Is Genetic Engineering the Answer to World Hunger Research Paper

Is Genetic Engineering the Answer to World Hunger - Research Paper Example Some have termed the genetically manipulated crops ‘frankenfoods’ and have questioned the potential harm to people and the environment that could come from their production. This discussion will answer these questions regarding the safety of these foods and present an overview of bioengineered foods. Bioengineering food involves â€Å"splicing a gene from one organism, such as a bacterium, into a plant or animal to confer certain traits† (Muth et al, 2002). These traits, developed for agricultural crops such as corn, soybeans, canola and cotton include increasing nutrients, tolerance to herbicides and drought, resistance to fungus and insects and reduced spoilage. Bioengineered corn and soybeans have become increasingly widespread among farmers during the last decade and the products can be commonly found in most grocery stores. Companies that engineer and produce bioengineered foods as well as manufacturers that choose to use these foods in their ingredients are faced with a stringent and ever-developing regulatory oversight by three government agencies; the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture), the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Which agency regulates a particular product is determined by the intended use of the crop. The EPA has the responsibility of regulating the sale, use, distribution and testing of all pesticides, even those genetically produced in a crop such as a type of corn which produces toxins that repels insects but is harmless to humans. The EPA also establishes tolerances for pesticide in crops meant for both animal and human ingestion. It does not designate between the two however, either a genetically produced crop is safe for both or neither. The FDA bases its policy concerning bioengineered foods on the conception of ‘substantial equivalence.’ Those bioengineered foods not

Population Sustainabiltiy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Population Sustainabiltiy - Essay Example At this current rate, the world is quickly becoming overcrowded, a fear that many countries are trying to handle before it is too late. There are a number of negative impacts that are brought on by human overpopulation. The greatest of these impacts is that human overpopulation is causing a quicker depletion of resources. In countries that are already overcrowded, some natural resources are harder to come by and difficult to accommodate everyone. Career and educational opportunities are also scarce as everyone attempts to obtain them. Overpopulation also leads to a rise in poverty and homelessness as Earth runs out of space to contain everybody. Overpopulation of humans gradually comes to a point where there is not enough of anything for everybody. As a whole, the world is facing an overpopulation of human beings. The amount of babies being born is significantly greater than the amount of people dying; the correlation between the two is almost nonexistent. Nevertheless, there are som e countries that are facing an opposite condition: a drastic decline in the overall number of people. Among them are Germany and Italy, countries that face very low birth rates and an aging population. There is a continuous decline in their population. Because of this decline, these countries stand a better chance at achieving a sustainable society. A sustainable society is defined by the ability to maintain a society that can progress without devastating setbacks in the near future (Chapman, 2000). They have less people to accommodate, and therefore need less. However, having a smaller population is only the beginning. There are policies that countries like Germany and Italy can follow to ensure a sustainable society. One such policy is to strengthen the ethics of caring for the community, which would require sharing the benefits and cost of resource use and environmental conservation. If development is managed, threats toward the survival of other species and habitats is eliminate d. Another policy is to grow economically; given the current recession, it is easy to see how economic failure can effect the possibility of a sustainable society. Job availability is rare, making it difficult for people to survive. A third policy is to minimize the depletion of finite resources by using less of them and finding infinite alternatives. There are some downfalls that come with underpopulation as with overpopulation. With underpopulation comes an abundant amount of resources. This may seem like a benefit, but resources need to be paid for. If a society lacks the people to pay for the resources that they need, it becomes difficult to maintain the resources (Zuckerman, 1996). In this case, too much is not a good thing; less is more. Countries like Germany and Italy may be set for a while, but resources will eventually become unaffordable, and the towns and cities risk dying out. Were it not for immigration and migration, which helps boost economies, cities in these countr ies would cease to exist. References Chapman, A. R. (2000). Consumption, population, and sustainability. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. Dobkowski, M. N. (2011). On the edge of scarcity (2nd ed.). Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. Zuckerman, B. (1996). Human population and the environmental crisis. Boston: Jones & Bartlett