Originally Posted by
Severian
you started it:
GMO plants have shown a high rate of cross-contamination with non GMO plants. And since GMO plants are all genetically identical the possibility of losing your whole crop to one disease is vastly increased. AND GMO seed is vastly more expensive than standard seed, which you need to use petroleum based pesticides and fertilizers on.
IANAG, I am not a geneticist, but I can play devils advocate (ICPDA). I not think you can really say all GM plants are genetically identical. They can be actually genetically diverse, but all share a common gene which usually codes for one or a few proteins, the rest of the gene pool is left unmodified.
The topic of GMOs is very complex and to me can't be reduced to direct gene modification vs. artificial selection. Weve been modifying the gene pool of organisms for thousands of years already. We've been making grass wheetier, wolves doggier, seeds nuttier, and cats more LOLier for ages. The real issue to me is intelectual property rights and the industrialization of these genes. Who owns you?
OK, back to the topic at hand: as many posters have mentioned, is eliminating a few drops of light oil really an effective way to ween one's self from the petrochemical industry? Already getting on a bike eliminates a good bit compared to using the car. But there are a lot of a lots of other places that we rely on petrochem. Reduction is good principle, but eliminating it all doesn't make sense.