Uses and Environmental Pollution of Biocides - Pesticides: Evaluation of Environmental Pollution - page 9

TABLE 1.3
Amount of Pesticide Active Ingredient and World Pesticide Expenditures at User Level
by Pesticide Type, 2000 and 2001 Estimate

World Market Active Ingredient World Market Expenditures

Pesticide Type Million Ibs of a.i. % Million $ %

2000
Herbicides and plant growth
regulators

1.944 36 14.319 44

Insecticides 1.355 25 9.102 28

Fungicides 516 10 6.384 19

Other a 1.536 29 2.964 9

Total 5351 100 32.769 100

2001
Herbicides and plant growth
regulators

1.870 37 14.118 44

Insecticides 1.332 24 8.763 28

Fungicides 475 9 6.027 19

Other a 1.469 29 2.848 9

Total 5.046 100 31.756 100

Source: Modified from EPA estimates based on Croplife America annual surveys and EPA proprietary
data.
a Other includes nematicides, fumigants, rodenticides, molluscicides, aquatic and fish/bird pesti-
cides, other miscellaneous conventional pesticides, and other chemicals used as pesticides (e.g., sul-
fur and petroleum oil).

Europe for animal feed and to China for food uses. In Africa, the trends in pesticide use
are less clear, but there are few areas where farmers now pass the year without applying
pesticides (Williamson 2003).
Each year, millions of tons of pesticides are used around the world. Six major players—
Syngenta , BASF , Bayer , Dow , Du Pont , and Monsanto— control the majority of the toxic chem-
ical market. Although global figures are hard to come by, industry reports suggest that an
estimated 1.5-2.5 million tons of pesticides are used annually.
Table 1.3 shows the amount of pesticide active ingredient and world pesticide expendi-
tures at user level by pesticide type.

1.2.4 Challenges of Climate Change and Pesticides

Climate change is already widely considered a reality (IPCC 2007). A two-way interac-
tion between agriculture and climate is known. Agriculture and the world's supply of
food and fiber are particularly vulnerable to such climate change. Many sectors will be
influenced by changing climate and climate variability, including increasing global tem-
peratures, changing precipitation patterns, and increasing frequency of unusual weather
events. Several studies have examined the interaction between pests and climate change
(Patterson et al. 1999; Gutierrez et al. 2008), concluding that pest activity, especially of
insects, will increase and lead to higher crop losses. Climate change will have important
implications for insect conservation and pest status and can substantially influence the
development and distribution of insects. Current best estimates of changes in climate
indicate an increase in global mean annual temperatures of 1°C by 2025 and 3°C by