Food and Agriculture
The use of modern technology in food production in the United States has led to mechanization and the production of agrochemicals that kill weeds and pests and act as crop fertilizers. This has resulted in farms shifting to monoculture as a preferred method of crop production. This method involves the use of large tracts of land to produce the same species of crops every year. Modern Biotechnology has also enabled the creation of Genetically Modified Organism that are crops whose genetic structure have been artificially modified to give them some desired characteristics.
The use of monoculture as a method of food production results in depletion of nutrients because the same crop species utilize specific type of nutrients. This has necessitated the use of chemical fertilizers as means to producing the depleted nutrients. The crops do not use all the applied fertilizers and the surplus fertilizers mostly end up polluting surface or underground water. Crops grown in monocultures also do not offer sufficient environmental resources for natural pest predators to suppress pests (Altieri, 2011). This makes the crops vulnerable to pests, and the only way to deal with them is through the use of pesticides. The pesticides are made of hazardous materials and are mostly sprayed on the crops. This causes air pollution, and some of the pesticides may be carried by the wind to other areas and affect other crop and animal species. Pollen from GMOs can cross-pollinate with nearby crops of the same plants. All corn varieties in Mexico have been found to contain some contamination. Some GMOs are also designed to produce to produce pesticides. These pesticides are stronger than any other natural pesticide and can contaminate water bodies affecting aquatic life.
The World Health Organization and the American Medical Association have concluded from over 100 studies conducted on genetically modified food that they are safe for human consumption (Norris, 2015). However, consumption of food with pesticide residue has been found to affect reproduction and immune systems and cause cancer.
Age of Oil
The world is looking for alternative fuel due to the concerns that the world oil production may soon reach its peak. One option that can be used as an alternative fuel is biodiesel that is made from glycerin extracted from vegetable oil and animal fat. Another alternative fuel is ethanol that has the same chemical formula as alcohol. Ethanol is mainly manufactured through fermenting and distilling corn although animal feed, and remains from food and beverage industries can also be used as ingredients. Currently, ethanol is being used as a fuel additive rather than being used as fuel on its own.
Current infrastructure prevents biodiesel and ethanol from being adopted as the main sources of energy. Although both can be dispensed from the available infrastructure, the challenge comes in storing and transporting the fuels. Biodiesel congeals in cold temperatures, and their tankers have to be insulated or heated in cold weather. Ethanol cannot be transported through pipelines because it absorbs water. Ethanol also has about two-thirds of the energy present in the same amount of gasoline.
The United States government can provide relatively stable tax subsidies in the form of subsidized loans, and decades of production and investment tax credits to the biodiesel and ethanol manufacturers (Huenteler & Lee, 2015). This will ensure steady growth of the industries and provision of the fuels at more affordable prices. The government can also fund research projects to lay a solid foundation and ensure technological advancements in the field of the alternative fuels production. The government should also prioritize the building of the necessary resources required for the transportation and storage of the fuels, to ease their transition as fuels of the future (Cohen, 2014).
References
Altieri, M. A. (2011). Modern Agriculture: Ecological impacts and the possibilities for truly sustainable farming. Retrieved April 21, 2016, from Nature Berkeley Education, https://nature.berkeley.edu/miguel-alt/modernagriculture.html
Cohen, S. (2014, February 10). The role of government in the transition to a sustainable economy. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-cohen/the-role-of-government-in_b_4759621.html
Huenteler, J., & Lee, H. (2015). The future of low- carbon road transport what role for Second-Generation Biofuels? Rapporteur’s report energy technology innovation policy. Retrieved from http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/files/biofuels_workshop_rapporteurs_report-62015-v2.pdf
Norris, M. L. (2015, August 10). Will GMOs hurt my body? The public’s concerns and how scientists have addressed them. Retrieved April 21, 2016, from Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/will-gmos-hurt-my-body/
