How Can Blade Runner Alert Us About Environmental Dangers Essay Example

science and technology to alert us on environmental risks. How has genetic engineering improved or destroyed human life? Are the modifications on genes environmentally sound? How does genetic engineering pose a global risk on the planet’s welfare? “Replicants are like any other machine. They're either a benefit or a hazard. If they're a benefit, it's not my problem.” These are the words of Deckard, a blade runner in response to Rachel, a female replicants who claims that their service to humanity is not appreciated. This complicates the conflict on whetherreplicantswere of any real benefit to planet earth.

The replicants are designed to resemble human beings in image and capability, only without emotion. This makes it difficult to distinguish them from human beings, thus the need to design the empathy machine Voight-Kampff. This machine works like a polygraph lie detector, but instead of lies, the respondent is tested for any signs of empathy. These include expressions like dilation of the eye pupil or iris in response to emotion. Lack of emotional response qualifies one as a replicant, liable for ‘retirement’. The violent attacks from the replicants show the danger of creating humans devoid of a conscience. These super creatures are impossible to control and thus are very dangerous to the environment around them. They mercilessly slaughter real humans in a ship in a bid to invade the earth. Another proof is the altercation between Roy and Tyrell which resulted in his gruesome attack.

A human machine that he designed himself gouged out his eyes. We are also exposed to other genetically modified organisms in the movie. We are shown an incident where Deckard is shown a creature that

he mistakes to be a fish. However it is actually an artificial snake. It is clear that it will be difficult to distinguish between real and artificial organisms in the environment. Also the morphology of modified organisms is altered and probably their adaptability to the natural environment is skewed. The spider in Rachel’s memory is orange with green legs. It lays eggs which hatch out numerous spiders. These all eat the adult spider up.
The advent of these modified organisms with superior genes may lead to the extinction of natural organisms. They have a relatively short life span and low adaptability to the environment on earth.

In Tyrell’s words, “the light which burns twice as bright burns half as long.” The replicants live for only a few years after which they die. In a hypothetical situation where genetically modified organisms outnumber natural organisms, they will gradually wipe out several species. They may attack other organisms and kill them, and later on die out themselves when they fail to further adapt to our environment As already seen in nature, the genetically modified plants have been banned and are only grown while following strict biosafety measures. They pose a risk of transgenic instability, cause the sterility of male plants and are even a health hazard due to herbicide resistance. They are designed to resist broad-spectrum herbicides even on exposure. These pose a great danger to human beings and wildlife. A number of countries have already banned the growth of GMO crops while others require strict labeling of products containing GMOs.

Blade Runner warns us of the dangers of a world with genetically modified organisms. It vividly depicts the dangers of

live organisms to our environment, which we can see is already endangered by GMO crops. As technology continues to advance, it is important for boundaries to be set and thus prevent a crisis in nature. Blade Runner is a great literary production acted in 1982, but set in the year 2019. It predicts the advancements in biotechnology including the cloning of animals and even human beings. In the script, the human clones, ‘replicants’ escape from their planet and invade the earth, attacking humans. The Blade Runners are a special police unit formed to kill the alien attackers.

The storyline involves the conflict between the blade runners and attackers in their pursuit to eliminate them. The world with these clones is not the same, as the strange looking animals are sold in market places and even served as meals in restaurants. You cannot distinguish between the clones and human beings. The clones are competing with the natural organisms. Genetic engineers are outwitting each other to produce the best clones. The environment is very different with these entrants and nature is at risk. Who can save nature from its own creation? Nature must restore its own design, only by destroying the clones. Blade Runner vividly expresses the unseen dangers of technology on the environment.

Works Cited

1. Dick, Philip K. Blade runner. Del Rey, 1982.
2. Ho, Mae-Wan, and Lim Li Ching. GMO free: exposing the hazards of biotechnology to ensure the integrity of our food supply. Vital Health Publishing, 2004.