As with all revolutionary technology, genetic engineering of organisms provides a plethora of existing and potential advantages to mankind, but emerging research is beginning to shed light on the dark side of GMO, and the implicit and explicit effects its utilization has on human health and the environment. .
The commercialization of genetic engineering technology, most notably in crops and subsequent foodstuffs, has partially muddled the GMO debate, due to the enormous pressure lobbies representing the $15.7 billion dollar biotech industry (James, 2014) have been placing on both objective scientific inquiry and policy makers. The analysis weighing the pros and cons of biotechnology/GMO raises a number of ethical, political, and legal questions that must be examined within a framework that-while recognizing the possibility that some existing research is not perfect-will simultaneously explore the possibly disastrous results of leaving the GMO industry in its current state. Especially important, is the dynamic of whether foods that come from genetically modified crops should be labeled for discerning consumers, and why corporations specializing in crop protection and genetic engineering appear to be frightened at the prospect. This research is important because it will look at evidence touted by both sides of the argument, and test their conclusions for causality and empirical validity. Furthermore, this research seeks to free itself of biases that have accompanied the growth of the GMO industry, and formulate a scholarly and testable hypothesis as to whether genetically modified crops are truly having a deleterious effect on our health and environment, or whether this is just a scare tactic impeding human progress. Using a foundation based on green criminology, the potential case against major players in the biotechnological industry, such as Monsanto, will be explored.
Literature Review.
