Are genetically modified crops more harmful than beneficial to the Research Paper

Are genetically modified crops more harmful than beneficial to the environment - Research Paper Example It reviews scientific literature to investigate whether the genetically engineered crops are more harmful or more beneficial to the environment. Reports on scientific research and analyses have offered varied opinions on the impacts of genetically modified crops on the environment. A research initiative by Powel et al on the effects of genetically modified crops on their immediate soil identifies temporary effects on lives around the crops. The effect lasts for less than a year, especially when the crops are grown only once in an area. The crops are also associated with lowering the rate of organic compounds’ decomposition in soils for retention of primary nutrients in the soils to ensure a stable food chain that begins with plants. This therefore identifies advantages of genetic modification towards food security in an ecosystem (Powel et al, p. 394). Research by Brookes and Barfoot on the environmental effects of genetically modified crops also identifies significant benefits of the engineering. According to their research results, application of genetically modified crops that are resistant to weeds and insects have reduced the general trend in application of chemical based herbicides and pesticides to lower environmental pollution due to the involved chemicals. This has in effect promised a reduction of green house gas emission to environmental safety (Brookes and Barfoot, p. 193). The effect of the genetically modified crops’ ability to kill insects and weeds that threatens the crops is also a source of the technology’s harmful impacts on the environment. The crops for example extend their potential and kills insects and weeds that do not affect them. As a result, the genetic engineering leads to unnecessary destruction of abiotic factors. This harm is more significant if it affects insects or weeds with environmental value. The toxicity of the crops is similarly