GMOs threaten ‘the whole fabric of life’

Thank YOU for your Aug. 11 front-page picture of butterflies. Who, indeed can resist the beauty of these winged creatures which come in brilliant, innumerable color combinations? Who can fail to be grateful for their contribution to nature, being pollinators and thus, allowing the existence of multitudes of plants which, in turn, yield food for other organisms?  Butterflies are agents of biodiversity. Butterflies are also agents of human life. Therefore, we should guard against any threat to these precious creatures.

One of these threats is genetically modified organisms (GMOs), specifically those that are modified to withstand the herbicide Round Up. Due to the heavy use of this chemical, organisms such as insects, including butterflies and bees, have gone down in numbers because they, too, are poisoned. It is also believed that the herbicides eradicate milkweed which is one of the weeds that grow with soya and corn, much of which are genetically modified in the United States. The loss of milkweed might be causing the decline of monarch butterflies which feed on milkweed.

The technology of genetic modification has been offered as an answer to the need for food security. Unfortunately, GMOs have been shown to have many unintended consequences. Among humans, allergies, asthma, autism, diabetes and cancer have risen paralleling the increase in the use of GMOs since the 1990s. In laboratory animal experiments, organ, growth and immune system defects have been shown. The decline in numbers of pollinators is just another unintended consequence which the world cannot afford. Without pollinators to sustain the plant world, the whole fabric of life will collapse.

It is noteworthy that a photo of the uprooting of golden rice in Camarines Sur appeared the Inquirer soon after the picture of the butterflies. The latter depicts the beauty of creation; the former depicts the efforts of humans to preserve the integrity of creation.

—ANGELINA P. GALANG, PhD,

Environmental Studies Institute,

Miriam College, Katipunan Avenue,

Quezon City