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A peer-reviewed paper published today in Science
demonstrates the extent of environmental harm from agriculture as
practiced over the past few decades. Use of nitrogen fertilizer has
risen dramatically, and half of all the fertilizer that has ever
been used on Earth has been applied in the last 15 years, leading to
massive pollution of coastal waters. Agricultural nitrogen
fertilizers that run off into coastal areas squeeze oxygen from the
water, leaving behind "dead zones" devoid of most life forms.
Polluted agricultural runoff from farms in the upper Midwest
contributes to a dead zone the size of New Jersey located in the
Gulf of Mexico off the Mississippi River. Coastal waters and
two-thirds of the nation's rivers and bays are degraded from
nutrient pollution, much of it coming from farms.
"Coastal waters are being decimated by pollution from nitrogen
fertilizer," said Environmental Defense senior scientist Bob
Howarth, one of the authors of the Science paper. "Fisheries,
coastal ecosystems and the recreational and commercial industries
that depend upon them are being hit hard by fertilizer overuse. If
trends of the past 35 years continue, nitrogen fertilizer use will
more than double globally by 2050."
A letter signed by 128 of the nation's leading environmental
scientists to Congressional leaders will be released today in
coordination with publication of the Science paper. The
letter calls for Congress to provide authorization funding for a
plan to reduce nitrogen flux in the Mississippi basin by 30% in 15
years. All of the governors of the states in the upper Mississippi
basin have signed the Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force
Action Plan, but federal assistance is necessary for the plan to
succeed. The letter and a list of its signatories can be found at http://www.environmentaldefense.org/
"Congress must step forward and make the investments needed to
foster an environmentally sustainable green revolution, which will
make U.S. coastal and agricultural areas stronger, safer and more
productive," said Howarth. "They should support the Midwestern
governors and provide funding for the Task Force nitrogen reduction
plan. Congress should also revise the Farm Bill and help farmers
make the transition to more environmentally benign agriculture
practices. Planting winter cover crops and using somewhat less
fertilizer, combined with full Congressional funding of wetlands
restoration and preservation, are important and practical steps
toward restoring the economic and environmental health of America's
coastal waters. Solutions are easily available that help preserve
the oceans without harming crop production."
### Environmental Defense, a leading national
nonprofit organization based in New York, represents more than
300,000 members. Since 1967 we have linked science, economics, and
law to create innovative, equitable, and cost-effective solutions to
the most urgent environmental problems. | 
