The article entitled “KEY GLOBAL ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED (GM) CROP USE 1996-2012” (which will be published in the July/Aug issue) by Graham Brookes and Peter Barfoot, from PG Economics, Dorchester, UK, summarizes timely the benefits of using modern crop biotechnology, or transgenic crops. According to their analysis, a $18.8 billion net benefit in 2012 was obtained and almost equally divided to farmers in developed and developing countries. More strikingly, technology of transgenic crops has also facilitated a significant reduction in the release of greenhouse gas emissions from this cropping area, which, in 2012, was equivalent to removing 11.88 million cars from the roads.
Coincidently, a recent report of the United Nations cries out for the series challenge and threat caused by climate change, indicating that our world becomes “hotter, drier and hungrier”. Governments worldwide are urged to address the “increasingly clear” threats posed by a warming climate before some options are closed off for good and to take steps to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions.
In addition to climate change and glob ...