The Relationship Between Pesticides and Carbon Emissions in Industrial Agriculture

Abstract

Agriculture is a large, profit-driven industry, and many methods used in modern agriculture are harmful to animals and the environment in order to obtain the largest yields and profit. Many studies demonstrate the ways in which agriculture affects land and ecosystems,  but one aspect of agriculture that is not often studied is the way in which pesticides directly affect carbon emissions. In order to study the effect of pesticides on carbon dioxide emissions, data was collected on the amount of fungicide, herbicide, and pesticide used on soybean in each state. The carbon emissions due to agriculture were then found for each state and an equation was used to find the amount of carbon released due to pesticides.  Through this, it was found that herbicide and fungicide had positive correlations, showing that the more each pesticide used, the more carbon dioxide was released. Insecticide, on the other hand, had a slightly negative correlation, driven by one outlier state. When pesticide amounts were compared with profit, the same trends were shown, respectively. When profit and carbon emissions were compared, it showed that the more profit made, the more carbon is released. This data shows that agriculture is very profit-oriented, explaining the use of many harmful substances as a means to improve crop yield. In order to satisfy  profit, productivity, and lower carbon emissions, more sustainable methods of farming can be used. Some examples are integrated pest management (IPM), or organic farming. While these are the two most commonly used methods, more research must be done in order to find better methods and helpful technology.