Environmental use of Genetically Modified Organisms

Oil spills and oil in waste discharged into the sea from refineries, factories or shipping contain poisonous compounds that are dangerous to welfare of all living beings, including plants and animals and other wildlife. Bioremediation is a natural process occurring very slowly in which the bacteria and other micro-organisms breakdown oil into other harmless molecules. With environmental pollution on the increase, scientists are developing genetically modified bacteria that can effectively and rapidly digest oil and that are well suited to particular environmental conditions. They are also used to remove algae from ponds and lakes. They are also used for manufacture of useful chemicals such as enzymes for plants by providing renewable resources of industrial chemicals.

Use of GMOs for environmental cleanup has been used in various parts of the world. Not many ethical concerns have been raised against this purpose. However, what is interesting is that in general the natural genetic engineering done by gene exchange between bacteria in the soil or water makes so many different bacteria that are selected to use the toxins for their energy source, and these bacteria are better suited to local environments. So usually by adding fertilizer to a polluted area, the already existing bacteria will be able to grow well and clean up the pollution rather than adding new ones. There is still more research needed, but it shows that in nature genes exchange between different organisms, especially in microorganisms