The use, toxicity and ecological harm of pesticides are increasing at the global scale

The United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) set a target to reduce the risks associated with pesticide use by 50% by 2030, and in 2025 (COP16.2) adopted a new indicator based on Total Applied Toxicity (TAT). The present study, carried out by the research group led by Dr Ralf Schulz, undertook a comprehensive and robust analysis applying the TAT indicator at the global scale for the period 2013–2019 to assess the impacts of pesticides on ecosystems. The study combines global pesticide-use data for 625 pesticides with potential environmental risk across eight species groups, integrating information from seven regulatory authorities, thereby ensuring a high level of global representativeness. The TAT approach is based on two main types of information: pesticide-use data and toxicity metrics. However, the relationship between pesticide use and impacts on biodiversity is complex and mediated by multiple processes. Other indicators attempt to predict environmental concentrations and compare them with toxicity thresholds, but such approaches require a large number of variables, many of which are not yet available at the global scale.

Wolfram et al. calculate TAT by country, crop, species group and pesticide. Their results show that over the study period, TAT increased in six of the eight species groups analysed. The highest TAT intensities are observed in countries such as Brazil, China, Argentina and the United States. Without additional measures, only one country (Chile), among the 65 countries with available national data (representing 79.4% of global cropland), would meet the target of halving pesticide risk by 2030. In terms of crops, fruit and vegetables, maize, soybean, rice and other cereals together account for between 76% and 83% of global TAT.

The authors emphasise that further interventions are required—particularly in countries showing increasing TAT trends—to reverse total applied toxicity levels to those recorded years or even decades ago. This shift entails sustained efforts including integrated biological solutions, precision technologies, appropriate agricultural practices and supportive public policies. Reducing the toxicity of pesticide mixtures is critical to achieving the United Nations target, making it necessary to restrict the use of highly toxic compounds and consider substitution with newer, lower-risk pesticides. In this regard, replacing chemical pesticides with non-chemical alternatives has proven effective in certain contexts, as shown by various studies. Strategies such as crop diversification and improved soil management can help strengthen biodiversity without compromising yields.

Overall, the authors highlight that TAT values are increasing across many countries, crops and species groups, and are expected to continue rising due to factors such as the expansion of agricultural land, production intensification and increasing pest resistance. Reducing reliance on chemical pesticides requires a level of political commitment comparable to that applied in climate-change mitigation policies.

Finally, the authors stress the need to validate pesticide risk indicators. To this end, they consider it essential to prioritise data collection and sharing, including exposure measurements, biodiversity metrics and other relevant parameters. Strengthening the underlying data base will enable better evidence-based decision-making, increasing the effectiveness of policies and strategies aimed at reducing the impacts of pesticides on biodiversity.

This is a highly relevant, high-quality study based on Total Applied Toxicity (TAT), an environmental indicator that makes it possible to predict the potential impact of plant protection products on biodiversity. This indicator is calculated using data on the agricultural use of these products and their toxicity to different groups of non-target species. It is therefore a particularly useful indicator in the context of the United Nations Global Biodiversity Framework, which set the target of reducing the risks posed by plant protection products by 50% by 2030. Within this framework, the study analyses global trends in this index for 625 plant protection products between 2013 and 2019 and applies spatial normalisation, thereby enhancing its predictive power at large scales.

Overall, the results show that TAT is increasing globally for the vast majority of the species groups included in the analysis. These results may be partly underestimated, given that data on pesticide use by crop and country are often limited or incomplete and not always available by individual product, which hampers accurate assessment. Nevertheless, the findings are consistent with the declining trends reported for numerous invertebrate and vertebrate species, as well as plants, associated with agricultural landscapes worldwide.

At present, close to four million tonnes of plant protection products are used globally—twice as much as in the 1990s—and their use continues to rise. An increasing number of studies warn of the detection of residues in a wide range of environmental and biological matrices, including in humans. Plant protection products are synthetic chemical substances designed to act lethally on target organisms, but they can also exert sub-lethal and silent effects through other mechanisms in non-target organisms. As a result, their impacts on non-target species often go largely unnoticed, meaning that contamination by plant protection products is frequently underestimated, despite its major significance for the overall health of ecosystems.

In conclusion, this is a key piece of research that highlights the urgent need for substantial global action—such as agricultural diversification, less intensive soil management, greater conversion to organic farming, and a shift towards less toxic plant protection products—if the United Nations’ goal of safeguarding biodiversity is to be achieved.