Fall 2009
Letters
The Failures of Genetically Engineered (GE) Crops
| In this issue of Catalyst:
> In the Footsteps of Thoreau |
The article in the Summer 2009 issue of Catalyst regarding the failure of genetic engineering to live up to its promises ["Failure to Yield," p. 11] was disappointing because it did not explain the reason: lack of research funds from public sources. Development has been left almost entirely to the private sector, which of course chose projects very likely to be profitable in the short term.
Robert D. Sweet, Ithaca, NY
There is an additional claimed benefit of GE crops that is not discussed in the article "Failure to Yield," namely reducing the use of pesticides, thus reducing pollution and saving farmers money. Do you have data supporting or refuting this claim?
Jerome Levkov, Bronx, NY
The author responds:
While we agree that public funding for agricultural research should be greatly increased, a large number of experimental GE crops have failed to reach the market despite the attempts of large, well-capitalized companies to develop high-value traits in large-market commodity crops. This suggests that inadequate performance is a more likely explanation for lack of commercialization than inadequate public funding.
Our analysis did not address pesticide use, but government data show that herbicide use on soybeans has increased since GE soybeans were introduced. On the other hand, insecticide use on Bt crops in the United States has decreased. Because herbicides are used much more widely than insecticides, overall pesticide use on GE crops has probably increased. This is one more reason to increase investment in sustainable agriculture practices proven to increase yields with less pesticide.
Doug Gurian-Sherman, senior scientist
UCS Food and Environment Program
Global Warming by the Numbers
The graph on p. 8 of the Summer 2009 Catalyst ["A Blueprint for a Clean Energy Economy"] appears to show 7 billion metric tons of CO2-equivalent U.S. global warming emissions. An article in the February 8, 2009, issue of Chemical & Engineering News states, "Humans produce . . . about 2% of the 300 billion tons of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere each year."
There appears to be a huge discrepancy here. Please explain.
Max Bettman, Southfield, MI
The author responds:
The 7.18 billion metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions shown in our chart include not just CO2, but other heat-trapping gases such as methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride. These emissions were aggregated using a measure of their global warming potential relative to CO2. Emissions of CO2 alone totaled about 6 billion metric tons in 2005, which corresponds to the 2 percent figure cited in your letter. These data come from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Eric Misbach, administrative coordinator
UCS Climate Program
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