Pesticides and Climate Change
By Alison Reintjes
Pervasive pesticide use is the lens through which I address the climate crisis.
In July 2021, I helped form the organization Grow Safe: Non Toxic Missoula. Grow Safe believes outdoor spaces should be cared for in a way that does no harm to human, animal, or environmental health. We advocate for a reduction of toxic pesticide use through community partnerships, policy, and education.
Pesticide use is invisible to many people. Until you become aware of it, it goes mostly unnoticed.
I am unusually sensitive to pesticides. My reaction is systemic—it affects my taste, making me thirsty in a way that doesn’t go away by drinking. I become irritable and think less clearly, and my breathing is impacted. The effects become amplified the longer I’m exposed. This means there are months each year when I cannot be in my own yard or many other places because of nearby herbicide applications.
I am aware of pesticides in a way I hope none of you ever are. But through research, I’ve learned pesticides have health consequences for everyone and not just for people like me who notice the effects more immediately.
I have already lost a great deal of personal freedom because of the overuse of toxic pesticides. My children worry when they see my health impacted.
This is what leads me to dedicate my time to public policy on pesticide use in Missoula.
Much like climate change, the consequences of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers don’t fit neatly into a single category. Their widespread use is an environmental problem that affects air, water, and soil health. As they volatilize (disperse as vapor) and drift far beyond the immediate application area, pesticides impact air quality. All synthetic fertilizers and many pesticides are water soluble, meaning they make their way into our watersheds as runoff. They reduce the biodiversity of microorganisms in soil as well. Because warmer weather brings more insects and weeds, there are direct correlations between rising temperatures and increased pesticide use. To make matters worse, with warmer water, the toxic effects of pesticides on aquatic life are amplified.
Pesticide use is a public health issue particularly for children and other vulnerable populations. The World Health Organization, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Health, the American Pediatric Association, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have all produced reports on the negative health effects of pesticides (find resources here).
Recent whistleblower cases brought against the EPA have highlighted ongoing corruption with disturbing ties between the EPA and the pesticide industry. In November 2021, the EPA announced that a number of the most commonly used pesticides are likely harming over 1,600 federally threatened or endangered species.
This assessment took place only after environmental organizations brought legal action compelling the EPA to meet its obligations under the Endangered Species Act.
By relying on pesticides as a default for managing our lawns, growing our food, maintaining our roadsides and medians, avoiding mosquitoes outside and spiders inside, we have built a system that assumes the use of known toxins and fossil fuels in every area of our lives.
This story is local and specific to our own homes and cities. And it is also global, affecting even the most remote reaches of our Earth. Viable alternatives mean we have the option to make more ethical choices.
Pesticide use raises the issue of who and what we value.
Winona LaDuke said, “Someone needs to explain to me why wanting clean drinking water makes you an activist, and why proposing to destroy water with chemical warfare doesn’t make a corporation a terrorist.” I agree. Fossil fuel-based pesticides are part of the extractive, consumption-based system that has lead us to the present existential crisis of climate change, biodiversity collapse, and widespread illness.
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Alison Reintjes helped found Grow Safe: Non Toxic Missoula after experiencing chronic health concerns from exposure to pesticides and other toxins. She lives in Missoula with her husband and two children. Alison is an artist, educator, and outdoors enthusiast.