Dear Chair Randolph and CARB Members:
Thank you for including goals for increasing organic
agriculture in California and reducing synthetic pesticide use in
the natural and working lands section of the 2022 Climate Scoping
Plan. Given California’s outsize influence as a farm state,
this is an important expansion in the state’s approach to
climate strategy and a clear recognition that agriculture has a
role to play in addressing our climate crisis. I now urge you to be
far more ambitious around these climate solutions by (1) increasing
the organic agriculture expansion goal to 30% by 2035; and (2)
setting ambitious concrete reduction targets for pesticides,
especially fumigants and other toxic air contaminants.
Transforming California’s agriculture sector away
from extractive practices and toward climate-friendly strategies is
essential as farmers struggle with drought, health and wildfire and
once-reliable food supply chains become much less so. It is also
imperative that as the state implements the climate mitigation and
resilience strategies offered in the Scoping Plan, it also invests
in healthier farming practices that protect farmworkers and their
communities. Meeting both of these challenges means the wholesale
adoption of farming practices that reduce reliance on fossil
fuel-intensive inputs like synthetic fertilizers and pesticides;
meaningfully and equitably addressing emissions from animal
agriculture; and prioritizing soil health.
This Scoping Plan takes an important step forward in
centering organic agriculture as a climate-smart strategy. Organic
farmers and ranchers build healthy soil, do not rely on synthetic
inputs, and protect biodiversity, all of which are essential to
increasing resilience in the face of climate change. I urge you to
heed the call of experts and advocates, including
NRDC, who have called
for more ambitious commitment and a faster timeline in order for
California’s scoping plan to meet the urgency of the moment.
This final draft recommends converting 20% of
California’s agricultural lands to organic agriculture by
2045. We are grateful for the inclusion of organic agriculture and
consider this an important milestone. Unfortunately, in order to
realize the significant climate benefits associated with organic
farming practices, the state needs to reach this milestone much
sooner than 2045. We can and should be far more ambitious given
that California’s organic acreage grew by 44% on its own from
2014 to 2019 according to a report
from the
state’s Department of Agriculture. A goal of converting 30%
of agricultural land to certified organic by 2035 is more aligned
with the urgency of the moment.
There are similar missed opportunities regarding
reducing pesticide use. While we are pleased to see an
acknowledgement of the role that pesticides play in exacerbating
climate change (while also harming public and ecosystem health),
and a nod to sustainable pest management sprinkled throughout the
Scoping Plan, it is essential for California to set firm reduction
goals for these toxic chemicals in order to significantly reduce
their climate harm.
I appreciate your consideration and
leadership.
Sincerely,
Lena Brook
Acting Director, Food and Agriculture
Program
Natural Resources Defense Council
San Francisco, CA