Cool Cotton – how to reduce the climate change impact of the world’s dirtiest crop
In a report published today (Cool Cotton – Cotton and Climate Change) the Soil Association says that switching to organic cotton could reduce the global warming impact of cotton production by 46% compared to non-organic cotton. Organic cotton would also reduce consumption of scarce fresh water by over 90% and energy use by over 60%. By contrast, from cotton production could increase to 300 million tonnes of CO2e by 2020 if current practices remain unchecked [2].
Cotton has been called the world’s dirtiest crop, owing to its heavy use of insecticides and water, high GHG emissions, and land use [1]. In 2013/14, 26 million tonnes of cotton was produced globally, on around 33 million hectares of land in a hundred countries, using 2.5% of the world’s farmland. One hundred million households, most in the some of the world’s poorest countries, are dependent on cotton farming. As well as GHG emissions, cotton is responsible for 16% of global insecticide use – more than any other crop. Globally, cotton production releases 220 million tonnes of CO2e, and one tonne of non-organic cotton produces 1.8 tonnes of CO2e.
In the run-up to the global Climate Summit in Paris (COP21), there is increasing political interest in the role of food and farming, and concern from environmental groups that climate-damaging farming may benefit from the new Green Climate Fund.
Global agriculture causes around 14% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. If deforestation through land clearance and ploughing ancient grassland for cropping is included, this figure rises to between 30-40%. This is far higher than the global emissions from either energy or transport.
Based on scientific research into the environmental impact of organic cotton, the organic cotton produced in 2013/14 saved the equivalent of nearly 95,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools of freshwater compared to non-organic. The energy saved could have kept a 60-watt lightbulb going for over 57,000 years, and the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions was the equivalent of driving a car around the world over 14,000 times.
The demand for organic cotton is growing. In 2014, the global market for organic cotton grew by 67% and is now worth an estimated $15.7 billion. In the UK, sales of Soil Association certified textiles rose 3.4% to £18.6 million in 2014, with brands like London-based People Tree leading the way in organic cotton fashion. Global production of organic cotton is estimated to increase by 15-20% in 2014/15.
A long-term study in India found that yields of organic cotton were just 14% lower but costs were 38% lower, meaning organic cotton is as or more profitable than non-organic. Organic cotton farmers have to grow a range of crops, as in all organic systems, so as well as avoiding illness due to pesticide use, they are more self-sufficient in food.
[1] Environmental Justice Foundation (2007) ‘The Deadly Chemicals in Cotton’ (in collaboration with the Pesticide Action Network UK) 8 available at: http://ejfoundation.org/sites/default/files/public/the_deadly_chemicals_in_cotton.pdf (accessed August 2015)
[2] Carbon Trust (2011) ‘International Carbon Flows – Cotton’ 1 available at: https://www.carbontrust.com/media/38354/ctc794-international-carbon-flowscotton.pdf (accessed August 2015)
