Environmental Concerns

GMOs and Herbicide Use: It’s Complicated

April 9, 2018 Guest Authors 0

There is strong evidence that herbicide use has indeed increased in GMO crops (corn, soybean, and cotton), much as the critics have suggested. However, the evidence also suggest that herbicide use has increased even faster in the non-GMO crops rice and wheat. This suggests that there is an overall trend for increasing herbicide use in all crops, irrespective of whether GMO varieties are available. It is even plausible, based on these data, that GMO crops have slowed the increase in herbicide use (though it is impossible to say for sure).

14-16 of 17 – Glyphosate and Field Ecosystems

March 23, 2017 Josh Tasman 4

GUEST AUTHOR: Iida Ruishalme
In my series 17 Questions about Glyphosate, question 14. deals with glyphosate-resistant weeds: whether they pose a problem, and why campaigners against glyphosate should be the last ones to worry about this particular issue. Question 15. looks at the soil ecosystems: what do we know about the effects of glyphosate on soil micro-organisms? Does it affect nutrient balance and mineral uptake? Plus comments on what one troubled study found out about earthworms. Question 16. delves into whether there is a relationship between glyphosate and the situation of Monarch butterflies or bees.

13 of 17 – Glyphosate and The Environment

March 20, 2017 Josh Tasman 0

GUEST AUTHOR: Iida Ruishalme
In my series 17 Questions about Glyphosate, question 13. looks at glyphosate and its impacts on farming methods and the environment.

Even if glyphosate poses no risk for the consumers, perhaps its problems lie in the effects on the environment? Let’s look at some of the details.

7-12 of 17 – Glyphosate in Wind, Rain; Down the Drain?

March 17, 2017 Josh Tasman 0

Guest Author: Iida Ruishalme
Series 17 Questions about Glyphosate! In questions 7-11 I go through the evidence for whether glyphosate can be detected, and if so then in which quantities, in each of the following: air and rainwater, urine, breastmilk, wine, and wheat. I have also added extra sections on glyphosate in honey, vaccines, and tampons.

Question 12. delves into the common verbal images of farmers ‘drenching’ their fields in pesticides, and how much farmers actually use.

The Promise of GMOs: Herbicides

January 3, 2017 Josh Tasman 3

GUEST AUTHOR: Anastasia Bodnar

This is a part of the series The Promise of GMOs. Do GMOs live up to the promises of the biotech industry? In the case of decreasing herbicide use and improving the environmental impact, there is data to back up industry claims.