12. CRRP-citizensNovember 26, 2019
Dear NESC Commissioners,
As concerned citizens of Northampton, we wish to bring to your attention a greenhouse gas that is not addressed in Northampton’s draft climate plan: Nitrous oxide (N2O) that is primarily
emitted by the agricultural sector with the application of synthetic fertilizers.
According to the EPA hereand here, N2O has a global warming potential 265–298 times that of CO2 for a100-yeartimescale.Itrepresented6%oftotalglobalgreenhouseemissionsin2017,andN2Oemissions
fromsoilintheUSgrew5.8%since1990.Accordingtothe2019IPCCClimateChangeandLand
Special Report, agriculture, forestry and other land use activities accounted for 82% of human-made N2O emissions between 2007-2016, with “anthropogenic N2O emissions from soils primarily
due to nitrogen application including inefficiencies (over-application or poorly synchronised with crop demand timings) (high confidence).”
ItisgenerallyassumedthatthemajorityofagriculturallandinNorthampton(eg“theMeadows”)is farmedwith,amongotherthings,theapplicationofnitrogenfertilizersforannualcrops.Educating,training,andincentivizingfarmerstoreducesyntheticfertilizer,andemploymethodssuchas
nitrogen-fixing cover crops, long fallows, and compost application--all of which help sink carbon intosoil, as well as build soil health and integrity--could help reduce our contribution
of atmospheric pollution.
Because Northampton farmers will likely continue to grow annual crops, we believe that transitioning to more sustainable crop-growing practices will help forward our urgent climate goals
by 1) requiring less
energy in production, harvesting and delivery2) sinking carbon in soil and improving soil health, and 3) avoiding ecologically devastating eutrophication(algal blooms) in our waterways
and N2O pollutiondue to overapplication of nitrogen fertilizers.
We recommend that, before the plan is finalized, Northampton form a task force that includes farmers and studies the myriad positive and negative impacts our farms have on greenhouse
emissions; pursues best practices, innovations, and solutions; and recommends policy, partnerships, and timelines for transitioning our community to viable, low-carbon, ecologically
sound farming methods.
Sincerely,
Dale LaBonte Dave Roitman Susan Roitman Seth Wilpan