The furor over genetically modified foods

Source: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Date: May 14, 2008

The United Nations estimates that world population will top 9 billion people by 2050. Combined with the anticipated consequences of global warming such as drought, this could lead to devastating food shortages. (See “Global Warming Will Strike Developing Nations the Hardest, UN Says.”) Already, the world is experiencing riots over food shortages. Therefore, crops genetically modified to withstand drought, pests, and disease could mitigate the effects of global climate change, which is why the companies developing such crops have strongly promoted them.