Mark Lynas helped find an anti-GMO campaign back in 1995. He felt that GMO’s would act as pollution and led to too much technological power because we were “mixing species.” There was also a stigma of ‘mad scientist’ when referring to scientists interested in gene splicing was also being used towards science interested in GMO crops. Lynas is known for a dramatic change in beliefs. Know for a strong stance against GMOs to actively promoting and educating the public about GMOs and their benefits. Lynas helped lead a anti-GMO campaign that was led nations in Europe, Africa, and other parts of the world to ban GMOs. He later then admitted that this was a major mistake. He did not understand the science behind creating GMOs and its effects on crops and humans. His campaign was ran off of fears not backed by science. Lynas now believes that GMOs is the answer to feed a estimated population of 9.5 billion in 2050 on the same amount of land we used today. GMO crops benefit farmers, consumers, and the ecosystem. GMO crops are effective and can produce higher yields of produce on less land that is typically needed for high yields. GMOs can reduce or eliminate crop susceptibility to disease, pests and environmental conditions.

Moral of Mark Lynas : due diligence – consider all sides before making a decision, make decisions off of information and not fears.

My view on GMOs is a positive one. GMOs provide many benefits to people and the ecosystem. GMOs allow crops to grow with less water and fertilizer application. This results in in less pollution of waterways from fertilizer runoff. Farmers also get an increased yield on the same amount of acres. This allows forest lands to be protected and not used for food production. GMOs allow for a lower cost of production and this can be helpful in developing countries which would allow them to be self sustainable.