This study quantifies the environmental footprints of pesticide use for 82 countries and territories, using top-down multi-region input-output analysis. Pesticide footprints are expressed as hazard loads, quantifying the body weight of non-target organisms absorbing pesticide residues without adverse effects. The world's 2015 consumption resulted in 2 Gt-bw of pesticide footprints, 32% traded internationally. High-income countries have the largest per-capita footprint. China, Germany, and the UK are top net importers of pesticide hazard loads, while the USA, Brazil, and Spain are top exporters. Policies targeting pesticide reduction are needed, ensuring impacts aren't transferred internationally.
Publisher
Communications Earth & Environment
Published On
Nov 07, 2022
Authors
Fiona H. M. Tang, Arunima Malik, Mengyu Li, Manfred Lenzen, Federico Maggi
Tags
pesticide
environmental impact
hazard load
international trade
policy reduction
non-target organisms
footprint analysis
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