FOREIGN AFFAIRS
CRISPR and the Climate
How Gene Editing Can Help Cut Emissions
Emma Kovak and Robert Paarlberg
November 17, 2021 ...many other states are exempting CRISPR crops from GMO-style rules. Following the 2018 court ruling in Europe, a coalition of ten countries… sent a signed statement to the World Trade Organization arguing that gene-edited plants should be regulated the same way as conventional ones.
The United Kingdom is now freeing itself from the EU ruling and pushing forward with research on CRISPR crops. Japan has signaled that it intends not to classify gene-edited plants as modified organisms under the Cartagena Protocol. China has yet to publicly speak up, but the country has invested heavily in genome editing, so it will also probably defend CRISPR. These governments clearly understand that addressing the challenges climate change poses for agriculture requires all the tools the world has, including gene editing...
GMOs can accomplish tremendous good—including by making emission-friendly products that CRISPR can’t. Genetic modification is better than gene editing at producing crops resistant to pests and diseases, which increases yields and allows for the production of more food on less land, decreasing deforestation.
The use of insect-resistant, genetically modified Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) crops, for example, has increased yields by an average of 25 percent globally. Genetic modification is also more effective than gene editing at making herbicide-resistant crops, which improves weed control and increases yields. And insect-resistant and herbicide-tolerant GMO plants have reduced tractor use for insecticide spraying and tillage, dramatically cutting yearly greenhouse gas emissions. Indeed, the yearly reduced usage is equivalent to taking 1.6 million cars off the road. States clearly shouldn’t limit modern crop improvement to CRISPR.
