23 July 2010
Fertilisers, pesticides and hybrid high-yielding seeds saved the planet from an extra dose of global warming. That, at least, is the conclusion of a new analysis which finds that the intensification of farming through the green revolution has unjustly been blamed for speeding up global warming.
Carnegie Institution in California argue that emissions were avoided because the green revolution between 1850 and 2005 boosted crop yields – for instance by promoting hybrid varieties with higher yields, and through widespread distribution of pesticides and fertilisers. This meant that more food could be produced without having to slash vast swathes of forest to expand farmland.
Critics caution that the study fails to acknowledge other societal and environmental harm from intensification, such as the degradation of soil, loss of biodiversity, toxic effects of pesticides on farm workers and animal suffering.
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