Today there are 6 billion people on the earth. By the year 2080 there may be 12.5 billion. This is a lot of people to feed. We need more food.
One way to produce more food is by growing stronger plants. For thousands of years, farmers have made plants better. Every season, they pick the best plants for the next season. It works very slowly. Since 1983, scientists have been able to change plants more quickly by changing their genetic material. Foods from plants grown in this way are called genetically modified foods, or GM foods.
By changing the genetic material of a plant, it is possible to make new plants. They make plants which are strong against plant diseases. They can also help with our diseases: a kind of rice is being prepared, for example, which stops people from becoming blind.
Rich countries produce GM foods because they are easy to grow and bring in more money. Poor countries are interested in them because they help produce more food.
GM plants are not natural. No one knows how good or bad they are. Making GM foods is only one way of feeding people in 2080. There are strong feelings against them, because they are unnatural. They may feed people, then hurt them or their children later. But, both rich and poor countries are very interested in their use, and they are not going to go away. In 2080 We may think differently about them.
现在地球上有60亿人。到2080年可能会有125亿人。这是一个许多人喂。我们需要更多的食物。
生产更多粮食的一种方法是通过植物越来越强大。数千年来,农民使植物更好。每一个季节,下赛季他们挑选最好的植物。它的工作原理非常缓慢。自1983年以来,科学家已经能够改变植物更快通过改变它们的遗传物质。食物从植物种植以这种方式被称为转基因食品,转基因食品。
通过改变植物的遗传物质,可以让新工厂。他们强烈反对植物的植物疾病。他们也可以帮助我们的疾病:一种大米是做好准备,例如,阻止人们变得盲目。
发达国家生产转基因食品,因为他们很容易成长,带来更多的钱。贫穷国家感兴趣的他们,因为他们帮助生产更多的食物。
转基因作物不自然。没有人知道他们有多好或者多坏。转基因食品是在2080年只喂养人的一种方式。有强烈的感情对他们,因为他们是不自然的。他们可能养活人,然后伤害他们或他们的孩子。但是,富国和穷国都使用非常感兴趣,也不会消失。在2080年我们可能以不同的方式思考了。
