The European Union's ambitious goals to slash pesticide use—aiming for a 50% reduction by 2025, 80% by 2030, and complete phase-out by 2035 under the Sustainable Use Regulation (SUR)—reflect a growing recognition of pesticides' toll on health and ecosystems . However, these targets coexist with a troubling reality: in 2022, the EU exported 120,000 tonnes of banned pesticides, a...
Introduction
Water pollution, fueled by agricultural runoff, industrial discharges, and urban waste, poses a profound threat to aquatic food chains and human health. According to recent studies, over 70% of global freshwater withdrawals support agriculture, which in turn contributes heavily to pollution through fertilizers and pesticides . These contaminants enter rivers, accumulate in organisms, and biomagnify up the food chain,...