FOSSILS, FERTILIZERS, AND FALSE SOLUTIONS

The report examines the environmental and climate impacts of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and pesticides, highlighting their role in greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss. It exposes the deep corporate links between the fossil fuel and agrochemical industries and criticizes their joint efforts to use CCS technology to justify continued fossil gas use for ammonia production, which threatens global food security and climate goals.

• The production and use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers contribute significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions, with nitrogen fertilizer alone accounting for roughly 2 percent of all global GHG emissions, an impact exceeding that of commercial aviation.
• Ammonia production for nitrogen fertilizers is highly emissions-intensive, releasing an estimated 450 million tonnes of CO2 annually, which is equivalent to the total energy system emissions of South Africa.
• The fossil fuel and agrochemical industries are deeply integrated; of eight leading fertilizer companies analyzed, seven had extensive ties to the fossil fuel industry via corporate ownership, board interlocks, or direct production.
• Fossil fuel and agrochemical companies are partnering on projects in at least nine countries to use carbon capture and storage (CCS) to produce fossil gas-based ammonia as a fertilizer input and energy carrier, a strategy the report claims is used to exploit government subsidies and 'launder' fossil fuels as clean energy.
• The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that petrochemicals will drive more than two-thirds of global oil demand growth through 2026, with fertilizers being the largest near-term growth sector for petroleum feedstock use.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2022). FOSSILS, FERTILIZERS, AND FALSE SOLUTIONS. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Fossil-Fertilizers-and-False-Solutions_Executive-Summary_EN.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. FOSSILS, FERTILIZERS, AND FALSE SOLUTIONS. 2022. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Fossil-Fertilizers-and-False-Solutions_Executive-Summary_EN.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=FOSSILS, FERTILIZERS, AND FALSE SOLUTIONS |date=September 2022 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Fossil-Fertilizers-and-False-Solutions_Executive-Summary_EN.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2022fossils, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{FOSSILS, FERTILIZERS, AND FALSE SOLUTIONS}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2022}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Fossil-Fertilizers-and-False-Solutions_Executive-Summary_EN.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }