Peak Energy: "Terra Preta: Biochar And The MEGO Effect. This month's edition of National Geographic has a feature article on 'Soil', which looks at the steady degradation of agricultural land and the problem this poses in world where the population is heading for 9+ billion people - effectively calling attention to the 'peak dirt' problem (however soil is renewable, so any 'peak' should be able to be reversed if sufficient time and effort is put into doing so).
The article uses an acronym I've never come across before to describe the problem faced by those trying to draw attention to the issue: MEGO (My Eyes Glaze Over) - a phenomenon which should be familiar to anyone who has ever talked about peak oil, global warming or any of the other 'limits to growth'."
“The way we're really going to grow the economy is to invest in people, to invest in innovation, to have the government put money in the kind of research that will create the new high-technology, BIOTECHNOLGY industries that will create millions of new jobs.” - Joseph Lieberman-
4 comments:
The Rest of the Biochar Story:
Charles Mann ("1491")in the Sept. National Geographic has a wonderful soils article which places Terra Preta / Biochar soils center stage.
I think Biochar has climbed the pinnacle, the Combined English and other language circulation of NGM is nearly nine million monthly with more than fifty million readers monthly!
We need to encourage more coverage now, to ride Mann's coattails to public critical mass.
Please put this (soil) bug in your colleague's ears. These issues need to gain traction among all the various disciplines who have an iron in this fire.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/soil/mann-text
I love the "MEGO" factor theme Mann built the story around. Lord... how I KNOW that reaction.
I like his characterization concerning the pot shards found in Terra Preta soils;
so filled with pottery - "It was as if the river's first inhabitants had
thrown a huge, rowdy frat party, smashing every plate in sight, then
buried the evidence."
A couple of researchers I was not aware of were quoted, and I'll be sending them posts about our Biochar group: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/b...guid=122501696
and data base;
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/?q=node
I also have been trying to convince Michael Pollan ( NYT Food Columnist, Author ) to do a follow up story, with pleading emails to him
Since the NGM cover reads "WHERE FOOD BEGINS" , I thought this would be right down his alley and focus more attention on Mann's work.
I've admiried his ability since "Botany of Desire" to over come the "MEGO" factor (My Eyes Glaze Over) and make food & agriculture into page turners.
It's what Mann hasn't covered that I thought should interest any writer as a follow up article.
The Biochar provisions by Sen.Ken Salazar in the 07 farm bill,
Dr, James Hansen's Global warming solutions paper and letter to the G-8 conference last month, and coming article in Science,
http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/0804/0804.1126.pdf
The many new university programs & field studies, in temperate soils
Glomalin's role in soil tilth & Terra Preta,
The International Biochar Initiative Conference Sept 8 in New Castle;
http://www.biochar-international.org/ibi2008conference/aboutibi2008conference.html
Given the current "Crisis" atmosphere concerning energy, soil sustainability, food vs. Biofuels, and Climate Change what other subject addresses them all?
Biochar, the modern version of an ancient Amazonian agricultural practice called Terra Preta (black earth), is gaining widespread credibility as a way to address world hunger, climate change, rural poverty, deforestation, and energy shortages… SIMULTANEOUSLY!
This technology represents the most comprehensive, low cost, and productive approach to long term stewardship and sustainability.
Terra Preta Soils a process for Carbon Negative Bio fuels, massive Carbon sequestration,10X Lower Methane & N2O soil emissions, and 3X Fertility Too. Every 1 ton of Biomass yields 1/3 ton Charcoal for soil Sequestration.
Johannes Lehmann recent work;
Mycorrhizal responses to biochar in soil – concepts
and mechanisms
Daniel D. Warnock & Johannes Lehmann &
Thomas W. Kuyper & Matthias C. Rillig
http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/publ/PlantSoil%20300,%209-20,%202007,%20Warnock.pdf
Carbon to the Soil, the only ubiquitous and economic place to put it.
Thanks for your article,
Erich"
erich, thanks for a detailed comment.
Hello, friends of renewable energy sources!
Is peat a renewable energy source?
Local newspaper "KESKISUOMALAINEN" (unfortunately no English translation available) tells about problems, connected to peat: is it "produced" too slowly in the nature to be a real renewable source of energy?
What means "too slow"? Compared to oil and coal, peat is relatively fast transformed from the form of living plants to relatively stable depositions. Environmental conditions play a most important role to prevent any further biodegradation of (originally photosynthetic) organisms ,once grown on wet sub-polaric areas.
I heard from radio that EU does not accept peat as a renewable energy source, no matter areas of peat harvesting can be be transformed into forests which can fix CO2 from atmosphere.
I do not know, how much scientific facts and how much politics are behind this problem but I'll try to update myself to understand it. It is a challenge for an ecologist like me.
Regards,
Juha
Juha, in your home town Jyväskylä you have several important information sources.
The Vapo Oyj headqurters are in Jyväskylä.
Minister Pekkarinen is from Jyväskylä.
Knock those doors and you get the "bright side of the moon" story.
I suppose EU isn't going to accept peat as a renewable energy source. But it's the cheapest present bioenergy source in Finland.
Peat production logistics has been improved after the first energy crisis in our country.
Wood based bioenergy has been going up and down. The big forestry companies didn't want outsiders to get into this field.
Independent sawmills have been doing what they can but the big strategy is in the hands of our big forestry companies.
Post a Comment