As a Regional Ambassador to Asia, I along with the support of Youth Thinkers’ Society Lamjung conducted Model United Nation Workshop and Mock Session at Lamjung Campus on 4^th and 7^th April . The discussion on the workshop was focused on the agenda “Utilization of Genetically Modified Foods in the Fight Against Hunger”. More than 40 enthusiastic students’ youths participated in the workshop and their views on the use and effects of GMOs representing themselves as delegates of various countries. Among the various ongoing debates worldwide in Agriculture “Use of GMOs” is always top listed. Some countries have adopted them while rests are skeptic about it and its adverse effect.

The World Heath Organization (WHO) defines them as organisms whose DNA has been altered in a non-natural way. GM plants are usually changed to be insect resistant, virus resistant, or herbicide tolerant. With these changes come some potentially problematic environmental challenges. There was a great debate regarding the environmental impact of GMOs during the workshop from the loss of biodiversity to different environmental impacts like to be caused by GMOs.

Some of the disadvantages of GMOs are:

·      According to the Iowa State University, some genetically modified foods have antibiotic features that are built into them, making them resistant or immune to viruses or diseases or viruses.

·      According to research, resent genetically modified foods can pose significant allergy risks to people. It states that genetic modification often adds or mixes proteins that were not indigenous to the original animal or plant, which might cause new allergic reactions in our body.

·      Some organisms in the ecosystem could be harmed, which in turn could lead to a lower level of biodiversity due to the use of GMOs. When we remove a certain pest that is harmful to crops, we could also be removing a food source for a certain species. Genetically modified crops could prove toxic to some organisms, which can lead to their reduced numbers or even extinction.

·      Cross-pollination can cover quite large distances, where new genes can be included in the offspring of organic, traditional plants or crops that are miles away. This can result in difficulty in distinguishing which crop fields are organic and which are not, posing a problem to the task of properly labeling non-GMO food products.

Although the global debate on GMOs has usually allied disparate groups concerned about food safety, environment and environmental risks. The environmental impacts of introduced GMOs can be either ecological or genetic and may include unintended effects on the dynamics of populations in the receiving environment as a result of impacts on non-target species, which may occur directly by predation or competition, or indirectly by changes in land use or farming practices, unintended effects on biogeochemistry, especially through impacts on soil microbial populations that regulate the flow of nitrogen, phosphorus and other essential elements, the transfer of inserted genetic material to other domesticated or native populations, generally known as gene flow, through pollination, mixed mating, dispersal or microbial transfer.

As a Regional Ambassador to Tunza EcoGeneration, I have always been searching a new innovative idea to aware people about environment and this program turned around to be a great one with the youth themselves and discussing and putting their ideas about the current global environmental issues. Youths working together can help in bring resilient future. Let’s all act together to bring a change.

Green Cheers.

Reference: http://www.fao.org/3/x9602e/x9602e07.htm