ISAAA: Biotech crops key to solving greenhouse gas issues

Although agriculture is one of the leading contributors of greenhouse gases (14 percent), biotechnology may be key in reducing the industry’s emissions, according to Clive James, chairman of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications.

According to a new report from ISAAA on the status of commercial biotech/genetically modified crops, biotech plant technology has prevented the release of 19 billion kg of carbon dioxide in 2010. That is the equivalent to removing 9 million cars from the road, James said.

Biotechnology helps reduce GHG emissions by reducing the amount of trips across a field growers need to make for crop applications. Biotech crops require fewer pesticide sprays, resulting in less fossil fuel use.

“It is appropriate that biotech crops also be part of the solution,” James told PTI. “There is credible, peer reviewed and published evidence that biotech crops are already contributing to the reduction of CO2.”

In light of the new information, James called on India to allow the testing of more GM crops to increase productivity in the face of shrinking land areas.