LIFE NextFUMIGREEN joins the celebration of International Climate Day

• The continuing rise in temperatures is mostly due to the burning of fossil fuels and their consequent emission of greenhouse gases.
• The problems caused by the excessive use of pesticides are currently an obstacle to environmental sustainability.
• LIFE NextFUMIGREEN, promotes the adoption and implementation of legal instruments that protect the environment.

Today, 26 March, we join in the celebration of International Climate Day. Since 1992, the United Nations has been commemorating today the importance of raising awareness and sensitising people to the influence of climate, as well as the impact of climate change on humanity.

According to scientific studies, a steady increase in the earth’s temperature has been detected, reaching an increase of about 0.85°C since the end of the 20th century. The continuous rise in temperature is mostly due to the burning of fossil fuels and their consequent emission of greenhouse gases.

Due to the current consequences of climate change, we must start implementing some improvements such as, for example, promoting the adoption and implementation of legal instruments that protect the environment; investing in technologies to capture CO2; rationalising the use of chemicals in agriculture; managing water use efficiently, as well as investing in efficient irrigation systems.

Currently, the biocidal active substances used in Europe are mostly chemical elements. The problems caused by the excessive use of pesticides today are a concern for environmental sustainability and climate change. Fumigant biocides have been a common method of control for decades in the fields of public health, animal health and food hygiene.

Many chemicals used contain gases that damage the quality of the air and the environment, leading to a deterioration of the quality of the climate. The LIFE NextFUMIGREEN project focuses on protecting the environment by developing natural fumigants based on active substances extracted from plant extracts to control pests in greenhouses. These fumigant biopesticides proposed by LIFE NextFUMIGREEN are less toxic than conventional ones, and their use will mitigate adverse effects on the environment. In fact, compared to the use of chemical pesticides, LIFE NextFUMIGREEN’s natural fumigants could reduce the impact on carbon footprint by 80% and groundwater pollution by 70%.

LIFE NextFUMIGREEN is a European project that seeks to develop natural fumigants from plant extracts to control whitefly populations and fungal outbreaks of botrytis in greenhouse horticultural crops. The project, led by FumiHogar, in collaboration with B&B Asesores, Comercial Química Massó, BrioAgro Tech and the Finnova Foundation, and 60% funded by the European Union’s LIFE programme, will last four and a half years and will test the effectiveness of a new fumigant biopesticide that is less toxic than conventional ones. With a total budget of 2,758,921.01 euros, this project aims to improve food security and biodiversity and contribute to the professionalisation of farmers in the use of biopesticides.