Agricultural economists at Purdue University recently evaluated the environmental and economic impacts of a genetically modified crops (GMO) global ban, according to a news release. The results showed a global ban on GMOs would raise food prices and the release of an additional equivalent of nearly a billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

The study showed that replacing GMO corn, soybeans and cotton with conventionally-bred varieties worldwide would cause a .27 to 2.2 percent increase in food costs. Poorer countries would be hit the hardest due to the 70 percent ratio of their income they spend on food.

GMOs are a controversial topic among food companies, legislators, consumers and academia. Despite the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency deeming GMOs safe to eat, some believe they pose a potential risk to human health and the environment.

Researchers came to this conclusion using a Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP-BIO) model to investigate two hypothetical scenarios: “What economic and environmental effects would a global ban on GMO corn, soybeans and cotton have?” and “What would the additional impact be if global GMO adoption caught up to the U.S. and then a ban were implemented?”

“Some of the same groups that want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions also want to ban GMOs. But you can’t have it both ways,” Wally Tyner, the James and Lois Ackerman professor of Agricultural Economics, said in a news release. “Planting GMO crops is an effective way for agriculture to lower its carbon footprint.”

The model showed that because of its strength as a crop producer and exporter, the U.S. would profit under a GMO ban, despite being the biggest planter of GMO crops.

“The U.S. is the largest agricultural exporter, so if the price of agricultural products goes up, we benefit,” Tyner said.

The model showed converting back to conventional crops would require significantly more cropland, according to the study. Global cropland acres would increase by around 7.7 million if GMO crops were banned.

The process of converting forests and pastures into farmland is an environmentally-costly process and would release nearly 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

“It’s quite fine for people to be concerned about GMOs—there’s no scientific basis to those concerns, but that’s their right,” Tyner said. “But the adverse impact on greenhouse gases without GMOs is something that is not widely known. It is important that this element enter into the public conversation.”