{"id":4856,"date":"2015-06-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-19T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www-prod.greenpeace.org\/usa\/gmos\/"},"modified":"2024-11-21T04:22:42","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T04:22:42","slug":"gmos","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/sustainable-agriculture\/issues\/gmos\/","title":{"rendered":"GMOs & Toxic Pesticides"},"content":{"rendered":"

Industrial agriculture is a system with an expiration date. It\u2019s only a few decades old, but just start adding up the environmental costs we are incurring by this broken system \u2014 more and more polluted waterways, clear-cut forests, inhumane treatment of livestock, and megatons of greenhouse gases. It\u2019s quite simply unsustainable.<\/span><\/p>\n

So many of the foods we eat everyday are sprayed again and again with pesticides before landing on our table. There are a <\/span>growing number of studies<\/span><\/a>\u00a0that\u00a0have associated certain pesticides with \u00a0increased cancer risk and with diseases such as Parkinson\u2019s and Alzheimer\u2019s, especially among those with high exposures. Unborn children are especially vulnerable because pesticides have also been associated with <\/span>birth defects<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What most people don\u2019t know is the connection between GMOs and pesticides: the surge in genetically engineered crops in the past few decades is one the main drivers of increased\u00a0pesticide use and chemicals in agriculture. As a matter of fact, genetically engineered\u00a0crops directly promote an industrial and chemical-intensive model of farming harmful to people, the environment, and wildlife.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of corporate pressure, millions like us are denied the right to know about where GMOs occur in the food chain. Mandatory GMO labeling is the rule in only a handful of countries. Giant agricultural firms insist that GMO crops are not harmful to humans, but the world simply doesn\u2019t have enough evidence to make that absolute claim. GMO crops have only gone mainstream in the past 20 years. <\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond that, giant agricultural firms should not have the right to own the genetic makeup of a particular strain of corn or soy or, in essence, patent nature. We shouldn\u2019t accept a world where chemical giants go after small farmers because a patented seed accidentally blew into their field and transformed their crops. GMOs threaten the independence of farmers to provide food to us all be ensuring their sovereignty over what to grow.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u00a0You Should Know<\/span><\/h2>\n