Stubble burning

Stubble burning is the deliberate setting fire of the straw stubble that remains after wheat and other grains have been harvested. The practice was widespread until the 1990s, when governments increasingly restricted its use.

The burning of stubble, contrasted with alternatives such as ploughing the stubble back into the ground has a number of consequences and effects on the environment

Stubble burning:

However, it has a number of harmful effects on the environment:

There is a perception that stubble burning contributes to atmospheric CO₂. However carbon dioxide releases are only slightly greater than those from natural decomposition

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