Whole Earth Discipline

Ever since the dawn of industrialization, humans have caused serious, irreversible damage to the biosphere. And as the world progresses and Canadians looks on, they realized the impact of their environmental damage. Sometimes new ecofriendly technology enters the market and replaces the old environment damaging one. But that is not enough, human society as a whole must completely rethink and change themselves individually to so that their actions causes minimal environmental backlash.

“The End of Nature,” by Bill McKibben is a startling book of non-fiction depicting the future in store for the environment and humans. His somber yet hopeful approach allows readers to sense the real intensity of this situation of mass environmental changes whilst remaining expectant of the advancements in the

Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMO’s, are organisms that have had genes from a different organism implanted into their own genetic code in order to produce a new result (“Genetically engineered foods”). This practice has elicited polar responses across the globe, for a multitude of reasons. Besides the obvious reason, being the morality of changing an organism's DNA for human benefit, one frequently noted problem is the monopolization of GMO’s by the company Monsanto, whose name is nearly synonymous with GMO’s due to their involvement with these crops. Monsanto has been at the center of many controversies regarding GMO’s, and is even considered to be ranked third to last for reputation among all major American companies (Bennett). Most

By genetically modifying traits in plants, biotechnology allows for higher food production in a wider array of places without the use of chemicals or limited resources. The increased crop availability results in economic profit, not only in the United States, but in developed and non-developed nations around the globe. A study to support this claim from Iowa State University shows that without GMO’s, global prices would be nearly 10% higher for soybeans and 6% higher for corn, two largely grown crops throughout the world. The net economic benefit for farmers in 2011 was $19.8 billion (PG Economics, 1996-2011). This results in an average rise in income of $329 per acre. For the entire 16-year period since the introduction of GMO’s, the increase in global

Due to reading “Stuffed and Starved” by Raj Patel this semester, I learned about how foods are produced and impact the world. Ever since I visited the farmer’s market in October, I became more aware of whether or not I am consuming genetically modified crops. Raj Patel revealed some of the many truths about the Green Revolution regarding genetically modified crops that influenced my choice of eating. Prior to reading the section of the book that made me aware of what I am eating, I believed that genetically modified crops were more beneficial than harmful to everyone. Not only did the genetically modified crops produce a higher yield to feed people, but the negative impact of technology outweighed its benefit. For example, Patel states, “domestic

And, by referencing an “ecologist”, the speaker reinforces the verity of their contention, prompting those who are sceptical to reconsider their beliefs. Additionally, the image which portrays the world in an individual’s hands supports the speakers’ contention by highlighting the actions of world leaders to be paramount in protecting earth, visually reinforcing that the future is in the hands of world leaders, the speakers’

Genetically modified food’s, or GMOs, goal is to feed the world's malnourished and undernourished population. Exploring the positive side to GMOs paints a wondrous picture for our planet’s future, although careful steps must be taken to ensure that destruction of our ecosystems do not occur. When GMOs were first introduced into the consumer market they claimed that they would help eliminate the world’s food crisis by providing plants that produced more and were resistant to elemental impacts like droughts and bacterial contaminants, however, production isn’t the only cause for the world’s food crisis. Which is a cause for concern because the population on the earth is growing and our land and ways of agriculture will not be enough to feed

Antoniou, M., Robinson, C., & Fagan, J. (2012, June). GMO Myths and Truths. In Institute of Responsible Technology. Retrieved from http://responsibletechnology.org/media/docs/GMO_Myths_and_Truths_1.3b.pdf

Genetically engineered crops in the United States cover almost one quarter of all the cropland. Soybeans, cotton, and corn are the products that tend to be the most modified. GMOs do not only have the purpose of solving world hunger, but also to cure diseases and create vaccines. John and Cheryl talk about Monsanto and DuPont, another big company involved in the production of GMOs. These two companies claim that their products have the purpose of feed the world and at the same time reduce the use of pesticides and stop the production of erosion. Nonetheless, researches have shown that the claims of these companies have no support, since biotechnology has been improving quickly and the current study to prevent bigger mistakes in the future is

When stripped to its core, the conflict lies in whether GMO's are beneficial or detrimental to the human population and the world's ecosystems. Surely we, as a population, have agreed upon the fact that GMO's influence the natural order of things, yet these genetically modified present both pluses and minuses. It is our job to figure out whether they are ultimately good or bad for both nature and the human race. By now, humans have realized that at times it is appropriate to tinker with the balance of nature, such as during famines, droughts, and the slow process

A Conservationist Manifesto In A Conservationist Manifesto, Scott Russell Sanders argues that consumerism is a destructive force in the nation. He offers a solution: “As an antidote to this culture of consumption, extravagance, and waste that dominates America today, we need to imagine a culture of conservation.” Sanders encourages readers to think of a new way to exist in the natural world. Sanders enlightened my perspective on the mass amount of consumption that we suffer in America.

Today’s world is all about how we can be seen as helping others, or how one county is offering support to those in need of it. When Jeremy Seifert starting his work on his film GMO-OMG (Seifert, 2013), the film started by asking people the simple question do they eat GMO. The film goes through the first 2 min of just people responses to that question and it is amazing how people were so unware of what they were eating. GMO are genetically modified organism which as the movie explains there are two primary categories of GMOs, the pesticide producer, and Herbicide resisters (Seifert, 2013) which help farmers to grow crops by making them resistant to bugs or weeds that would have destroyed crops in the past. Monsanto is one of the largest GMO producers of a corn seed that would allow for crops to grow with natural resistant to herbicide and insects. When Jeremy went to Africa to research why some of the locals were rejecting the Monsanto seeds because they said that you could only plant them once and then you would be forever in need of the replace seeds rather than just reusing seeds from the fully grown plants. The Haitian people believed that the seeds of life are a common inheritance of all humanity (Seifert, 2013).

Modern society is on the verge of a biotechnological revolution: the foods we eat no longer serve simply to feed us, but to feed entire nations, to withstand natural disasters, and to deliver preventative vaccination. Much of this technology exists due to the rapid development of genetic modification, and today’s genetically modified crops are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Says Robert T. Fraley, chief technology officer for biotech giant Monsanto, “It’s like computers in the 1960s. We are just at the beginning of the explosion of technology we are going to see." Biotechnology’s discontents are numerous and furious, declaring the efforts of corporations of Monsanto to be dangerous and morally reprehensible. Inherent within the

Our nation today is divided when it comes to the controversial topic GMO’s. Some people claim that genetically engineered food provides more advantages than disadvantages, while others are demanding all GMO food products to be labeled. The 2014 ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law explains how genetically modified organisms can benefit our society. “Examples of such species are plants that have become resistant to crop destroying pests without the need for chemical pesticides.7 This modem technique is often referred to as bioengineering, and enables farmers to produce greater crop

Although the job of a farmer is said to become easier and in the long run increase the amount of people purchasing their crops, it can eventually take a negative turn once more and more of the population becomes informed on the use of genetic modification. Once consumers have become aware of the possible health issues or negative aspects to these GM crops, they may refrain from purchasing crops that are GM, leaving farmers with a much more difficult job. If the population becomes further aware of the issue, it can already be too late for farmers as their soil has been contaminated and seeds have been purchased leaving them without a consumer which means a loss of income,sales and employment. The difference in these views on the issue is the main reason why certain farmers are skeptical on the use of GMO’s. Once more laws are passed over time, there is an increasing risk for every farmer currently involved in the production of these