Irrigation’s climate benefit could equal 363 years of its own emissions

AI Summary

New research indicates that U.S. irrigation significantly mitigates greenhouse gas emissions by enabling higher crop yields on less land, thereby preventing ecosystem conversion. The potential emissions saved are equivalent to 363 years of current U.S. irrigation emissions.

U.S. irrigation produces some greenhouse gas emissions, but new research suggests it prevents vastly more by allowing farmers to grow more food on less land. Without irrigation, replacing lost crop yields could require converting natural ecosystems into farmland, releasing an estimated 6.86 gigatons of greenhouse gases. That is equivalent to about 363 years of current annual U.S. irrigation emissions.