Cultivated by humans for centuries, bamboo is a grass
which grows very quickly, reaching its full height in one growing season. It can then be harvested for pulp or other
purposes or allowed to grow to maturity. After harvesting it will re-sprout and
continue growing.
Drawdown: The most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming (edited by Paul Hawken) is a book which discusses 80 ways of reversing global warming and a further 20 possibilities as "coming attractions". According to an article in this book, bamboo can play an important role. ( For more information about these solutions check Project Drawdown )
“Bamboo rapidly sequesters carbon in biomass and soil,
taking it out of the air faster than almost any other plant, and can thrive on
inhospitable degraded lands.”
Added to these impressive qualities is the fact that it
has the compressive strength of concrete and the tensile strength of
steel. It has a wide range of
uses. In building it is utilised for frames, flooring and
shingles. It is also used for
scaffolding in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia.
Furniture is made
from it as are utensils such as chopping boards, chopsticks, and wooden
stirring spoons. It is also used to
make baskets and other containers, as food for both humans and animals, and for
biofuels, charcoal and increasingly for fabric for clothing such as t-shirts
and socks. It can also be used for paper, producing six times as much pulp as a
conventional pine plantation.
As a grass, bamboo contains minute silica structures – phytoliths. These resist degradation longer than other
plant material, remaining in the soil for at least hundreds of years.
According to Drawdown “The combination of phytoliths and
bamboo’s rapid growth make it a prolific means to sequester carbon.”
An added benefit is its ability to replace high emissions
products such as cotton, plastics, aluminium, steel and concrete - meaning its
carbon reduction impact is even greater.
A proviso to its use is its capacity to be an invasive
species damaging existing natural ecosystems. This means any expansion beyond
its current approximately 80 million acres worldwide should be in appropriate
locations such as already degraded lands.
-Leonie Blain
This is an amended version of the article
that was published in the VOICES FOR THE EARTH column in The Daily Examiner
on June 3rd.
