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Pesticide Toxicity Surges Globally, Harming Insects
6 Feb
Summary
- Insect harm from pesticides increased by 42.9% between 2013 and 2019.
- Only aquatic plants and land vertebrates saw reduced danger.
- Chile is on track to meet the 2030 UN pesticide risk reduction goal.
Ecological harm from synthetic farm chemicals has demonstrably worsened globally, with insects suffering the most significant increase in toxicity. Between 2013 and 2019, applied toxicity to insects rose by 42.9%, followed by a 30.8% increase for soil organisms.
This trend is concerning as world leaders pledged to halve pesticide risks by 2030. Researchers utilized the total applied toxicity framework, factoring in varying harm levels for different species, to assess damage from 625 pesticides across 65 countries.
While Europe and China have seen reductions due to policies phasing out certain chemicals and a zero-growth approach, significant increases occurred in Africa, India, the US, Brazil, and Russia. Notably, Chile is the only nation currently projected to meet the UN's biodiversity goal.
Experts highlight that current measurements might underestimate the full impact, as pesticides can cause sub-lethal effects. They stress the critical need for global actions like agricultural diversification, organic farming, and switching to less toxic alternatives to safeguard biodiversity.
