Biotechnology and environmental quality

Abstract

Many factors influence environmental quality and contribute to environmental change, not least of which are science and technology. Biotechnology, involving the harnessing of living organisms or components of organisms, is a case in point. Although it has been in use for many thousands of years in a limited context, e.g., fermenting and brewing, the developments in biotechnology which have occurred in the last 20 years are beginning to have a substantial impact on the environment. At present this impact concerns the manipulation of nontransgenic organisms but in the near future it will increasingly be related to the impact of transgenic organisms produced via genetic engineering. This article examines these impacts, both real and potential, which are emanating from such diverse activities as agriculture, resource recovery, pollution abatement and the production of renewable energy resources. The environmental impact of nearly all these applications involves their influences on the fundamental processes of energy flows and bio- geochemical cycles. In principle, the applications of biotechnology appear to present ways of improving environmental quality (Mannion, 1993a). Many of the applications in agriculture, for example, should lead to a reduction in fossil-fuel inputs with consequent benefits for the global environment. However, there are justifiable concerns about the release of transgenic organisms and their potential to interbreed with wild relatives. The outcome could give rise to ecological disasters, as so many introductions of species into nonindigenous environments have caused in the past. Alternatively, such organisms may produce compounds that are toxic to plants, animals and humans. Regulations, including internationally recognized standards, are thus required to monitor the use of transgenic organisms. There are also, potentially, many cultural disadvantages of biotechnology as transnational companies in the developed world monopolize seed businesses and control patents. This reflects the power relations of biotechnology. It also reflects the fact that the basic science may not itself be inherently disadvantageous environmentally but that the threat lies in the way it is organized and implemented.