BAMBOO AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION

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 3^rd.

FARMER GLENN MORRIS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Inverell farmer Glenn Morris joined the Time2Change Rally in Sydney recently along with other farmers and other community members from around NSW to demand effective action on climate change.  He wrote about his motivation in his local newspaper The Inverell Times earlier this month.

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Last month I joined twenty-five farmers on horseback from across NSW riding through the middle of Sydney to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change on the people who live in and make their living from rural Australia.

I’ve been noticing the impacts of climate change on the land around me for the last thirty years. It seems to me as these impacts mount up for farming communities across Australia, the government is doing less and less to tackle the issue and making more and more excuses instead.

The scientific evidence for climate change is clear – and the evidence us farmers are seeing on the ground is even clearer. We’re suffering the devastating effects of record heatwaves, rainfall deficiencies, fires, floods and storms on a regular basis and we can’t take much more of it.

So we decided if the politicians wouldn’t act on climate change, we would! We rode in support of the #Time2Choose rally, a united NSW-wide protest about the thermal coal industry that’s threatening our existence.

We’re getting close to the point of no return as a country – but that point is not here just yet and there are choices we can all make to make a difference and protect this Great Southern Land we all love. It’s time to choose a better life and a safer, healthier climate.

If we don’t take care of our land and stop pillaging it, our food supplies and water resources are at risk. Every time we destroy another area of land, we are effectively destroying the living connection which protects and nurtures us, with clean air, clean water and healthy food.

This is not just an issue for farmers, this affects everyone.

Since riding in support of the rally, I’ve been inundated with messages of support. One of the comments I have kept hearing is how inspired everyone was by this action: those who were there at the rally and saw first hand the magnificent beauty of the horses, those who saw us in the media and we, the riders, were probably most inspired of all. We’re inspired to continue to raise awareness of this issue and we will not rest until we make people aware that the individual choices that they make that will determine our future. 

Australians need to demand better respect for our land, water and climate. We need to expect our politicians to take action on this matter – and to be prepared to use our vote to create that change if we need to. We need to join organisations that are fighting for our food supplies and water resources like the many who were at the time2choose rally including Farmers for Climate Action.

For the future of our land it’s now time to choose: respect or destruction. I choose respect.

Glenn Morris, Inverell Farmer, NSW.