Pesticide use and climate crisis locked in ‘vicious cycle’ backed by polluting industries

February 19, 2023 / activist360

*Tractor spraying on crops. Photo by Ferencz Istvan, Pexels.*

While agrochemical corporations promote “flawed solutions,” said one advocate, “we need deeper, transformative approaches to actually solve the root problems of our broken food system.”

Even though synthetic pesticides—the majority of which are derived from fossil fuels—contribute significantly to planet-heating pollution and increase the vulnerability of food systems, industrial agriculture interests continue to recklessly portray further pesticide use as a sensible response to the climate emergency’s worsening impacts.

That’s according to a recent report published by the Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA), which details how agrochemical corporations exacerbate the climate crisis by refusing to admit that pesticides are part of the problem and instead promoting “false” solutions that enable them to keep peddling their highly profitable petroleum-based products.

The January report outlines how policymakers can help mitigate the climate crisis and build just and sustainable food systems by setting targets to drastically curb pesticide use, supporting agroecological farming practices, and protecting the rights of low-income individuals, disproportionately people of color, who are most harmed by pesticides, including farmworkers and residents of areas where the toxic substances are produced and applied.

“Governments are investing billions of dollars to address climate change, but these investments will fall woefully short unless they incorporate pesticide use reduction strategies and promotion of agroecological growing practices.”

“Reductions in pesticide use and the adoption of agroecology would decrease greenhouse gas emissions, while also reducing acute poisonings, long-term diseases like cancer, and other health impacts that rural communities face from pesticide exposure,” Nayamin Martinez, executive director of Central California Environmental Justice Network, said in a statement.

As the report explains: “Pesticides contribute to climate change throughout their lifecycle via manufacturing, packaging, transportation, application, and even through environmental degradation and disposal. Importantly, 99% of all synthetic chemicals—including pesticides—are derived from fossil fuels, and several oil and gas companies play major roles in developing pesticide ingredients.”

Pesticides, the offspring of a World War II-era marriage of Big Ag and Big Oil, help drive global warming to a greater extent than many realize, as the authors document:

Other chemical inputs in agriculture, such as nitrogen fertilizer, have rightly received significant attention due to their contributions to greenhouse gas emissions. Yet research has shown that the manufacture of one kilogram of pesticide requires, on average, about 10 times more energy than one kilogram of nitrogen fertilizer. Like nitrogen fertilizers, pesticides can also release greenhouse gas emissions after their application, with fumigant pesticides shown to increase nitrous oxide production in soils seven- to eight-fold. Many pesticides also lead to the production of ground-level ozone, a greenhouse gas harmful to both humans and plants. Some pesticides, such as sulfuryl fluoride, are themselves powerful greenhouse gases, having nearly 5,000 times the potency of carbon dioxide.

Despite mounting evidence that pesticides are helping to accelerate planetary heating, “climate change impacts are expected to lead to increases in pesticide use, creating a vicious cycle between chemical dependency and intensifying climate change,” the report notes. “Research shows that declining efficacy of pesticides, coupled with increases in pest pressures associated with a changing climate, will likely increase synthetic pesticide use in conventional agriculture. An increase in pesticide use will lead to greater resistance to herbicides and insecticides in weeds and insect pests, while also harming public health and the environment.”

That agricultural production is a substantial contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution is increasingly acknowledged, but the role played by pesticides is “infrequently addressed” and “many proposed solutions would not result in meaningful GHG emission reductions,” says the report.

It continues:

An example of a false solution is precision agriculture, which promises to reduce the use of petroleum-derived pesticides and fertilizers by using computer-aided technologies to more accurately determine need (pest presence) and then more accurately apply pesticides to intended targets. However, precision agriculture maintains a system dependent upon chemical- and energy-intensive technologies and materials, while diverting attention from and investment in more effective climate-friendly strategies in agriculture that have additional social and public health co-benefits, such as agroecology. Precision agriculture also increases the power and control of agrochemical companies, many of which own the precision agriculture platforms and the data inputted by farmers.

Another flawed solution, carbon markets, allows agribusinesses or farmers to sell carbon credits to corporations to “offset” continued greenhouse gas emissions—perpetuating reliance on fossil fuels. Carbon markets have a poor track record in terms of long-term climate mitigation, and have been shown to worsen economic and racial disparities.

Co-author Asha Sharma, organizing co-director at PANNA, said that “our new report reveals how oil and gas companies and pesticide manufacturers have followed a similar playbook—strategically promoting flawed solutions to the climate crisis, like carbon capture and storage and new digital agriculture tools, which in reality offer minimal climate benefits.”

“Corporations tout these novel technologies to protect their reputation, while they continue to profit from fossil fuels,” said Sharma. “We need deeper, transformative approaches to actually solve the root problems of our broken food system.”

The report makes the case for agroecology, which it defines as “a way of farming rooted in social justice that focuses on working with nature rather than against it.”

Agroecology “relies on ecological principles for pest management, minimizing the use of synthetic pesticides, while prioritizing the decision-making power of farmers and agricultural workers,” the report notes, adding that such an approach improves “the resilience of our agricultural systems to better withstand climate change impacts.”

The report makes three key recommendations for policymakers:

Establish measurable goals in climate policies to reduce synthetic pesticide use in agriculture;
Promote the transition to biodiverse, agroecological food and farming systems, such as by establishing and funding programs that provide increased technical assistance and incentives to farmers to adopt or continue these farming practices; and
In line with international law, adopt regulations that uphold and promote the rights of groups most impacted by synthetic pesticide use.

“Transitioning our agricultural systems to those that uplift ecological and social justice principles will not only help mitigate climate change, but also reduce the negative health impacts of industrial agriculture,” says the report. “While the work toward future policy and practice change continues, we can collectively support the advocacy work of impacted communities and organizations fighting for more equitable and sustainable food and farming systems right now.”

Co-author Margaret Reeves, a senior scientist at PANNA, argued that “governments are investing billions of dollars to address climate change, but these investments will fall woefully short unless they incorporate pesticide use reduction strategies and promotion of agroecological growing practices.”

Framing up the community-centred future of peatland management

February 12, 2023 / activist360

*Women in Perigi Village, South Sumatra, routinely harvest Purun to make plaited mats. Photo by Rifky/CIFOR*

Experts share knowledge from long-term research in Indonesia and beyond

By Nabiha Shahab, Forests News (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Indonesia has the third-largest area of biodiversity-rich tropical forests in the world. The archipelago is considered one of the world’s 17 ‘megadiverse’ countries and houses two of the 25 global biodiversity ‘hotspots’. In 2015, however, the country experienced its worst forest fire disaster in almost two decades. In September and October that year, carbon emissions released by the fires reached 11.3 million tons per day – higher than the emissions of the entire European Union, which released 8.9 million tons daily over the same period.

In response to the disaster – and as part of wider efforts to restore 14 million hectares of degraded land, including two million hectares of peatlands – the Korean and Indonesian governments have developed a peatland restoration project which focuses on the ‘3Rs’: rewetting, revegetation, and revitalization. Activities include rewetting infrastructure, revegetating over 200 hectares with tree planting, and land revitalization in 10 villages surrounding the project site, as well as the creation of a small peatland education center.

“We believe that this peatland restoration project will help create a sustainable ecosystem and have a productive impact on the community,” said Junkyu Cho, Korean Co-Director of the Korea-Indonesia Forest Cooperation Center (KIFC), during a symposium to share knowledge and experience gained from peatland restoration initiatives in several locations across Indonesia, on 7 December 2022 at CIFOR’s Bogor campus. The international symposium also aimed to enhance the network of researchers involved in peatland restoration and governance.

The research team, which hails from Korea’s National Institute of Forest Science (NIFoS) and the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), will develop a model for restoring peatlands and other degraded lands in Indonesia in ways that make the most of science and technology and improve local livelihoods.

“We hope that various issues, such as climate change adaptation, nature-based solutions, and bio-economy will be explored under the rubric of peatlands,” said Hyungsoon Choi, the director of NIFoS’ Global Forestry Research Division. The researchers are also helping to develop sustainable community-based reforestation and enterprises, said CIFOR-ICRAF Senior Scientist Himlal Baral.

During the symposium, Baral also shared information on CIFOR-ICRAF’s long-term Sustainable Community-based Reforestation and Enterprises (SCORE) project, which runs for the same period as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and provides valuable opportunities for research. The study involves identifying areas for restoration, and for planting sustainable timber and non-timber forest products. “We start with small demonstration trials, and we hope to scale up and achieve long-term impacts,” he said, adding that smart agroforestry is one of the options for restoration.

Nisa Novita, from local NGO Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN), shared some of her research into the mitigation potential of natural climate solutions for Indonesia. Her team found that the country offers a dramatic opportunity to contribute to tackling climate change by increasing carbon sequestration and storage through the protection, improved management, and restoration of drylands, peatlands, and mangrove ecosystems. “Protecting, managing, and restoring Indonesia’s wetlands is key to achieving the country’s emissions reduction target by 2030,” she said.

Several presenters shared models for cost-effective restoration. A-Ram Yang of NIFoS’ Global Forestry Division discussed a visit to the Perigi peatland landscape in South Sumatra in September 2022. Meanwhile, a team from Korea’s Kookmin University shared their experience assessing ecosystem services in North Korea’s forests with a view to adapting these for use in Indonesia.

Budi Leksono, a senior researcher at the Research Center for Plant Conservation and the Forestry, National Research, and Innovation Agency (BRIN), spoke of the potential of genetic improvement to serve restoration goals. “The use of improved seeds for plantation forests has been proven to increase the productivity and quality of forest products,” he said. “In accordance with the goal of restoration in Indonesia to restore trees and forests to degraded forest landscapes on a large scale, it should also be applied to the landscape restoration program to increase the added value of the land, and will have an impact on increasing ecological resilience and productivity.”

On a similar note, in a research collaboration with CIFOR-ICRAF, scientists at Sriwijaya University (UNSRI) developed a model for landscape restoration to be applied to wide range of species of high economic value, including Jelutung (Dyera costulata), Belangeran (Shorea balangeran), Nyamplung (Calophyllum inophyllum) and Malapari (Pongamia pinnata). One of the scientists, Agus Suwignyo, said that “the use of improved seeds for landscape restoration will have an impact on people’s welfare if this is also followed by implementing a planting pattern that is in accordance with the conditions of the land and the needs of the local community.”

Participating farmers also chose their own preferred species, such as jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), avocado (Persea americana), mango (Mangifera indica), nangkadak (a hybrid of Artocarpus heterophillus and Artocarpus integer), sapodilla (Manilkara zapota), oranges (Citrus sp.), soursop (Annona muricata), rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) and betel or areca palm (Areca catechu). From 2018 to 2020, UNSRI helped local farmers to develop smart agrosilvofishery, improved rice cultivation, introduce other economical rice crops, plant trees, and cultivate various local fish species.

The method showed positive results. “During the long dry season in 2018, the surrounding area was burned by other farmers, but our demo plot area was not burned,” said Suwignyo. “This year, we scaled up the area to 10 hectares.” The story echoed a common theme within the symposium: the importance of well-planned, multidisciplinary, evidence-based restoration that puts both people and nature first.

This research was supported by the National Institute of Forest Science, Republic of Korea and collaborated with National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Republic of Indonesia ; Tropical Rainforest Reforestation Center of Mulawarman University; University of Muhammadiyah Palangkaraya; Center of Excellence for Peatland Research at Sriwijaya University.

A double whammy: Wildfire debris pollutes drinking water

February 5, 2023 / activist360

(Photo credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture / CC BY 2.0) — *Credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture / CC BY 2.0*

Wildfires, which have intensified with climate change, litter the ground with debris that can contaminate drinking water supplies after a heavy rain.

By Alex Urquhart and Tanya Petach, Yale Climate Connections (CC BY-NC-ND 2.5)

The largest wildfire in New Mexico’s state history burned over 300,000 acres in the summer of 2022 and came within a mile of the town of Las Vegas. The flames ultimately spared the town of 13,000, but months later, ash and soot left by the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak wildfire fouled drinking water there when monsoon rains blanketed the region, paradoxically slamming Las Vegas with both flooding and a municipal water shortage.

Four people drowned in flash floods, and residents were forced to erect sandbag barriers to protect their houses. Meanwhile, the inundation overwhelmed the town’s water filtration system with ash contamination, forcing mandatory restrictions to cut water consumption by about two-thirds. Swimming pools went empty, and restaurants resorted to disposable dishes and utensils to cut back on dishwashing.

In September, New Mexico spent $2 million to rapidly install a temporary pre-treatment system. It is still propping up the overstrained filtration system while the town applies for federal funds for a permanent water treatment facility that the mayor estimates could cost as much as $100–200 million.

Climate change is worsening wildfires

Around the world, more extreme wildfires have become a shocking signal that the effects of climate change are here. Wildfires are now more common and more destructive, making their damage more expensive.

Climate models have predicted this worsening trend for years and suggest it will continue as long spells of hot and dry weather become more common. In California, 12 of the 20 largest fires since 1932 occurred in the last five years. In the Mediterranean, the frequency of so-called “fire weather”—hot and dry weather that leads to large wildfires—is projected to increase by up to 30% by the end of the century.

Toxic runoff dirties drinking water

Although the dramatic violence of wildfires attracts intense media coverage, long-term impacts on water quality have gone largely unreported. The problem is alarming in the U.S. West, which has wrestled with regional water shortages for years. Researchers are finding that heavy rains in areas affected by wildfires can contaminate watersheds and overwhelm municipal drinking water systems. Municipalities must often pay astronomical costs to augment, repair, or replace entire water distribution systems. With risks growing, researchers say at-risk areas must plan ahead to act quickly and communicate clearly about water issues to fire-hit residents.

Wildfires lead to increased flooding and sediment erosion into rivers because a healthy forest is no longer there to slow stormwater runoff and increase water absorption. During storms, ash from the wildfire will be carried unchecked directly into streams, where it can easily flow to a municipal water intake and overwhelm treatment plants, leading to water shortages or even total failure of municipal water systems.

Following the Rocky and Wragg fires in California, researchers studying the affected watersheds recorded drastic increases in dissolved organic carbon, dissolved organic nitrogen and ammonium. It took over a year for these levels to return to normal.

When fires burn through developed areas, toxic runoff is created from the destruction of building materials, electronics, appliances, and vehicles. Rain transports these dangerous chemicals into groundwater, contaminating private wells and municipal systems. This can force months of boil water advisories, or even do not drink/do not boil orders, where drinking water must be brought in from other areas.

Even the water distribution system itself can become a source of contamination. Following the Tubbs Fire and the Camp Fire in California, both of which burned through developed areas, researchers found that municipal drinking water exceeded exposure limits for volatile organic compounds such as benzene. The source of this contamination may have been fire damage to plastic pipes and other synthetic components of the distribution system. With so many potential sources and causes of contamination, it is challenging for public officials to define an appropriate response. This has led to conflicting or variable recommendations in the aftermath of a fire, damaging public trust in official guidance.

Can we build fire-resilient water systems?

As wildfires worsen globally, water quality problems will affect millions of people who live in threatened watersheds. In addition to cutting planet-heating emissions, specific solutions are needed to protect public health and safety from the inevitable fires to come.

Researchers who studied the aftermath of the Tubbs and Camp Fire have called for standardized and streamlined water quality monitoring following wildfires. They recommend a “do not use” order following any wildfire that burns through developed areas. Other recommendations include updated building codes to limit the spread of contaminated water within damaged distribution systems.

Clear health and safety guidance in the aftermath of a fire is crucial. In the months following the Camp Fire, surveys of 233 households within the affected community showed 54% had some level of anxiety about water contamination, and 85% were seeking alternative water sources. The public needed clear recommendations about drinking water safety, including how to conduct at-home testing. Following a fire, clear and regular communication may be required for months or years, depending on the scope of contamination.

Municipalities may also identify standard operating procedures and fire response policies before disaster strikes. A new study examining the 2021 Marshall fire in Colorado outlined potential mitigation procedures that municipalities could implement, from emergency planning to post-fire flushing protocols.

“There are very simple straightforward actions that municipalities can take today to prevent wide-scale water distribution system contamination,” said Andrew Whelton, a lead author of the study. For example: “isolating your water distribution center into zones so that if one part of the system is damaged it doesn’t spread to the other parts of the system.”

Having a plan in place will reduce confusion and increase trust and efficiency in the wildfire response, recent research suggests. One vital consideration is the level of water contamination that constitutes acceptable or unacceptable health risks.

“There are certain conditions that would indicate that your water is lightly contaminated and you should not use it,” Whelton said. “The Marshall Fire case study identifies those conditions, and another study identifies conditions of contamination in private wells. Your water can be chemically contaminated after a fire, and you have to do testing to determine if it is safe or not.”

Understanding these thresholds will lend clarity and speed to post-fire decision-making. And with climate change accelerating, the need for standardized practices that will educate the public about water safety and ensure access to clean water will only grow.

Alex Urquhartis the research and modeling manager at Energy Innovation Policy and Technology LLC® and Tanya Petachis the Climate Science Fellow at the Aspen Global Change Institute. Both organizations are Yale Climate Connections content-sharing partners.

*This post was updated Feb. 3, 2023, to reflect the correct spelling of Andrew Whelton’s name.