Eight: Shrink the dead zone.
Dead zones are low-oxygen zones in
the ocean caused primarily by nutrient pollution from synthetic fertilizers. Oxygen levels in these areas
are so low that most aquatic life cannot survive, creating an area devoid
of life. They affect large areas of the
cess nitrogen is impacting the Mississippi River and worsening the
Gulf of Mexico’s Dead Zone. These
scientists found record levels of nitrogen in the watershed, driven by a
combination of drought from 2012
and high rainfalls from the spring of
2013. Nitrogen is making its way into
the waterways from synthetic fertilizer spread on conventional farms,
polluting local aquatic areas and
eventually contributing to the Dead
Zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Measures
of the 2013 Dead Zone found that it
had doubled in size from 2012, likely due to nitrogen and phosphorus
pollution run-off from agricultural
sources.
One way to reduce the amount of nitrogen polluting our waterways is by
choosing organic. The Organic Center is currently conducting a project quantifying the amount that organic production decreases nitrogen
ocean, especially in the Gulf of Mex- pollution. Preliminary reports show
ico and Chesapeake Bay, and have that organic vegetables and grains
been growing in size since 1985.
contribute over 50% less nitrogen
pollution than produce grown conIn addition to being environmen- ventionally!
tally devastating, Dead Zones affect
commercial and recreational fisher- Nine: Stabilize the climate.
ies and can hurt the local economy.
The Chesapeake Bay Dead Zone, for Climate change will continue to be a
example, threatens a multi-year ef- major concern in 2014, and researchfort to restore the Bay’s water quality ers have been focusing on ways to
and enhance its production of crabs, mitigate the issue. Some of the work
oysters and other important fisher- done on this subject in 2013 suggesties.
ed that organic production may be a
key part of reducing greenhouse gas
In 2013, researchers found that ex- emissions. For example, a study from
Germany showed that organic farming not only produces less greenhouse
gases, but also uses less energy than
conventional farming techniques.
The benefit of organic is especially apparent in dairy farming, as the organic farms in the study emitted around
200 grams less CO2 per kilogram of
milk than conventional farms with
the same milk yield.
Another study, by Professor Dalgaard
of Aarhus University, showed that conversion to organic from conventional
farming typically results in lower total
fossil energy use and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, a 2013
research study by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL)
showed that organically managed
soils release 492 kg less carbon dioxide per hectare per year than conventionally managed soils. Researchers
also found that the uptake of methane on organic farms was higher than
on conventional farms. Agriculture
is one of the major contributors to
greenhouse gas emissions, so choosing organic could mitigate the future
threat of climate change!