We need to stop using factory farming methods. When we put artificial chemicals - fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides - they kill the living things in the soil THAT MADE THE SOIL.
The carbon in the soil - which is what makes good soil dark colored - is released into the air, which adds to climate change.
The nitrogen fertilizer - which is made from natural gas - runs off in the first rainfall. Which poisons the runoff, which makes the water undrinkable. It then causes algae blooms, which causes dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico.
It breaks down, and becomes nitrous oxide - which is about 8X stronger than even methane.
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/und...ing-potentials
Quote:
CO2, by definition, has a GWP of 1 regardless of the time period used, because it is the gas being used as the reference. CO2 remains in the climate system for a very long time: CO2 emissions cause increases in atmospheric concentrations of CO2 that will last thousands of years.
Methane (CH4) is estimated to have a GWP of 28–36 over 100 years (Learn why EPA's U.S. Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks uses a different value.). CH4 emitted today lasts about a decade on average, which is much less time than CO2. But CH4 also absorbs much more energy than CO2. The net effect of the shorter lifetime and higher energy absorption is reflected in the GWP. The CH4 GWP also accounts for some indirect effects, such as the fact that CH4 is a precursor to ozone, and ozone is itself a GHG.
Nitrous Oxide (N2O) has a GWP 265–298 times that of CO2 for a 100-year timescale. N2O emitted today remains in the atmosphere for more than 100 years, on average.
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[added emphasis is mine]