Don't We Owe This to the Future Generations?

Imagine a world with crop yields too small to provide for the human population. People who aren't dying from starvation die from resource-related combat. In this world, though, that fatality rate might be less than that of people dying from disease and illness.

Our world would likely look like this today, had the scientific society not developed like it has. Farmers have been genetically modifying their crops for centuries, just not in the direct science-fiction methodology we think of today. How so? By picking certain traits, such as bigger seeds, larger fruit, or more colour, farmers are inherently selecting the genes of the crops. Without the historical genetic modification of our ancestors, corn would still exist as a wild grass and a watermelon would be smaller than an apple. Moreover, we've developed various combatants to illnesses. Why don't most people die from chicken pox or tetanus anymore? How can people with diabetes and high blood pressure live a healthy life? All answers derive from the same principle: science has developed to allow us to be stronger.

So, what does this all mean? Why is this important to understanding the implications of genetic engineering? Essentially, the human race has been choosing favourable traits for hundreds of generations. We do this to create more, nutritional food, and to withstand environmental conditions.

So what makes genetic engineering different?

Genetic engineering is the direct manipulation of the characteristics of an organism by altering its genetic material. In simpler words, it is changing an organism to do what we want it to do; just like we did with our crops in the past, and similar to modern uses of medicine. Who knows what resources we would lack and how this would affect our survival had our ancestors not done this!

What Are the Benefits?

More food. Healthier food. Tastier food.

Modern technology regarding recombinant DNA allows us to mirror what our ancestors have done with crops, but in a petri dish. To be able to supply the human population with food genetically modified to be healthier reduces diet-related health issues. Most of the food we eat today is already genetically modified like corn, soy, and even milk. The issue lies in the reality that with our growing population, what we have is still not enough. The ability to create more food in environmental conditions normally unsuitable to the crop allows us to combat global hunger; all while providing more jobs and even food that tastes better!

Making disease a thing of the past.

Last summer, I met a 19-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis. She explained to me her daily procedure of taking her various medications, attaching herself to a machine that shakes the mucous off the lining of her lungs, and breathing through a nasal cannula. My heart broke when she unsolicitedly told me, "yeah, I'm never going to have kids. I love my life, but I don't want to see them deal with this." Imagine being in her place, and hearing that doctors can cure cystic fibrosis through recombinant DNA. Through the use of genetic engineering, cancer, Huntington's disease and various other genetic conditions can become a thing of the past. It is understandable that individuals would fear this technology would result in "curing" conditions that do not need to be cured. Though, laws reflect the values of society. With the proper legislation created in a great education of science and society, we can assure we can maintain biodiversity, without sacrificing the lives of the unfortunately ill members of our communities.

Combat our ecological issues.

As issues of global warming and deforestation become more prevalent, the need for solutions becomes greater. Geneticists can modify breeds of photosynthetic organisms to grow at a greater rate, or introduce genes to species that allow them to better adapt to their changing environment. These issues minimise with the development of genetic modification. Within the last hundred years of human existence, we've destroyed more than half of the world's forests. This can be combatted through genetic engineering.

Carbon dioxide levels continue to increase, along with biodiversity and access to medicinal resources and food; is this fair to the future generations? The argument that risks are involved does not stand because risks have been involved in every scientific advancement. Without risks, medicine would not exist, along with the vast majority of our technology. We owe this to our children. We can help the human race survive, and save a variety of organisms and biomes, through modern research in genetic engineering.

References:

"From Corgis to Corn: A Brief Look at the Long History of GMO Technology." Science in the News. N.p., 23 Oct. 2016. Web. 16 June 2017.