One of the main worries people have are the cross contamination between GM crops and organic crops. Pollen from GM crops can contaminate nearby crops and wild plants of the same type, so GM corn can contaminate organically grown corn. In fact, almost all varieties of corn in Mexico have been found to have some contamination ("Dangers to the Environment"). No one knows what will happen if genetically modified crops cross-pollinate with wild plants, they could eventually mutate into something else more dangerous. Also, studies have shown that pesticide-producing crops contaminate nearby streams, possibly affecting aquatic life. They may harm beneficial insects such as butterflies and the diminishing population of bees,which I believe could significantly decrease production from other food sources, have been found that insects which are not targeted by the GM pesticides develop into pests. Then pesticide spraying resumes, on top of the potential buildup of toxin in the soil and this has occurred in China, India as well as in the US ("Dangers to the Environment).
After studying 150 organic and non-organic food products, lead author Ken Green, professor of environmental management at the Manchester Business School, reported, "There is certainly insufficient evidence available to state that organic agriculture overall would have less of an environmental impact than conventional agriculture (Uschan, par. 7)." The researchers found no evidence that organic farming provides any overall environmental advantages, and also found that many popular organic products strain the environment much more than food products produced through conventional methods. Organically grown vegetables were singled out as particularly stressful on natural resources (Taylor, par. 4).
Land use is also an environmental issue. Part of a product's environmental impact is the amount of space required to produce it, croplands and pastures now occupy 40 percent of Earth's land surface (Palmer, par.
