Climate change could increase pesticide use

A new report from the Pesticide Action Network says pesticide use is expected to increase and become more dangerous as the climate warms.

California farmers used almost 18% of all pesticides applied in the country, and pesticide use in the Golden State is four and a half times higher than the national average.

California farmers use over 200 million pounds of active pesticide ingredients annually.

The Department of Food and Agriculture estimates that pesticide use in the United States has grown by 5% between 2005 and 2020. Herbicide use has grown by more than 34% over the same period.

The use of chemicals in large scale farming is increasing as efficiency drops and many expect climate change to put additional pressure on agriculture.

“As the effects of climate change reduce the effectiveness of pesticides, the effects of climate change are also predicted to exacerbate pest pressure and problems,” said Ashe Sharma, a researcher at the Pesticide Action Network. “At the same time, climate change is expected to negatively impact crop health.”

It doesn’t help that most synthetic pesticides are made from fossil fuel derivatives, and some pesticides, such as the food fumigant sulfuryl fluoride, are themselves greenhouse gases.

Chemicals contribute to greenhouse gas emissions when they are produced, distributed and used in fields.

The report argues that the nation needs to move away from the large scale use of pesticides because as the climate warms and the effectiveness of pesticides drops, more and more pesticides will need to be used to get the same results.

The report calls on farmers to adopt more environmentally friendly farming practices such as crop rotation and natural pest control practices.

“So if you have a problem with cucumber beetles,” said Robert Fox, an Iowa farmer. “Then you try to provide a habitat for things like snakes and frogs and some critters that find cucumber beetles delicious.”

The researchers suggest that the national food system may also focus on rotating more crops so that pests that feed on one crop do not accumulate in the region.

“You’re constantly rotating or combining different crops that don’t have the same pests or diseases,” Sharma said. “So, you don’t need the huge amounts of pesticides that we see in traditional farming today.”

A more natural farming system relies less on pesticides and herbicides.

The report calls on the government to take action that includes pesticides in climate planning, which reduces reliance on synthetic pesticides, regulations that reduce pesticide toxicity, and a shift towards agroecology.

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