There are many environmental benefits associated with GMOs. Over the past 20 years, GMOs have reduced pesticide applications by 8.6 percent and helped increase crop yields by 22 percent. Reduced pesticide use associated with insect resistant GM crops and reduced tillage that is possible with herbicide tolerant crops are believed to be beneficial to bee populations and other pollinators. GMO crops contributed to sustainability and climate change solutions by conserving biodiversity — in 2018 alone they helped save 59.7 million acres of land and reduce CO2 emissions by 50.7 billion pounds, equivalent to taking 15.3 million cars off the road for one year.
Herbicide-tolerant genetically engineered crops enable farmers to till less often. This has increased nutrient-rich organic matter up to 1,800 pounds per acre per year. In addition, GM traits can help farmers produce crops that are more resistant to extreme weather conditions, such as drought and extreme heat, and non-browning traits can allow for reduced food waste. GMOs can help to reduce food waste in developing countries where these losses can be as high as 40 to 50 percent for root crops, fruits, and vegetables, 30 percent for cereals and fish, and 20 percent for oilseeds.
Although a lot of the negative press GMOs get is largely untrue, GMOs are not a panacea. Yes, they can absolutely benefit the farmer, environment, and consumer, but the technology used to create GMOs is just one of many tools. Most of the arguments against GMOs are not unique to GMOs. These same arguments and concerns can be applied to all of the other modification techniques as well. There are pros and cons associated with all aspects of different crop modification techniques and farming methods. No one single plant breeding method or agricultural system will feed the world in a sustainable manner. They can all contribute and continue to be improved.