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Science 15 December 2000:
Vol. 290. no. 5499, pp. 2088 - 2093
DOI: 10.1126/science.290.5499.2088
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Review

The Ecological Risks and Benefits of Genetically Engineered Plants

L. L. Wolfenbarger,1* and P. R. Phifer2

Discussions of the environmental risks and benefits of adopting genetically engineered organisms are highly polarized between pro- and anti-biotechnology groups, but the current state of our knowledge is frequently overlooked in this debate. A review of existing scientific literature reveals that key experiments on both the environmental risks and benefits are lacking. The complexity of ecological systems presents considerable challenges for experiments to assess the risks and benefits and inevitable uncertainties of genetically engineered plants. Collectively, existing studies emphasize that these can vary spatially, temporally, and according to the trait and cultivar modified.

1 AAAS Environmental Fellow, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Assessment, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (8601D), Washington, DC 20460, USA.
2 AAAS Diplomacy Fellow, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Science, 3141 South Stafford Street, Arlington, VA 22206, USA. The views presented here are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of either agency or the U.S. government.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: wolfenbarger.lareesa{at}epa.gov

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