[Terrapreta] Carbon emissions show sharp rise

[Sean K. Barry]

Hi Richard,

I just read your article ...

Carbon emissions show sharp rise

By Richard Black

Environment correspondent, BBC News website


Charcoal is made from relatively recently living plant materials, usually hardwoods.  The carbon in those plants was previously in the atmosphere no more than maybe 100 years ago, at the most.  Carbon from coppiced woodland made into charcoal is only out of the atmosphere maybe 3 years.

On the other hand, fossil carbon (coal, oil, natural gas) fuels have carbon in them that has been out of the atmosphere for 300+ million years!  The recent up tick (the recent 150 years) in the growth of atmospheric CO2 concentration is primarily from the emissions of burning fossil carbon fuels alone.  Burning charcoal has only and will only recycle recent preexisting atmospheric CO2.  Only fossil fuel burning ADDS CO2 to the atmospheric concentrations.  Nature recycles CO2 in/out of the atmosphere (out of the sky and into the plants, out of the plants and into the sky) at a clip of 120 billion tons of carbon every year.  All of human activity burning fossil carbon fuels increases the atmospheric levels of CO2 by 6 billion tons per year.  Inputs of CO2 to the atmosphere are +5% greater than is absorbed by Nature.

Increased burning of charcoal does have other potential pollution problems.  Rising levels of emissions of the potent green house gas, Methane-CH4 and particulate soot are both two significant problems which can effect both environmental and human health.

If we controlled emissions of Methane-CH4 and particulate soot, then we could replace all of fossil fuel burning with biomass charcoal burning and NEVER increase the CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.  We could also do the same and REDUCE atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
I believe that your assertion that CO2 from charcoal burning is causing recent Global Warming is profoundly incorrect.



Regards,

Sean K. Barry
Principal Engineer/Owner
Troposphere Energy, LLC
11170 142nd St. N.
Stillwater, MN 55082-4797
(651)-285-0904 (Work/Cell)
(651)-351-0711 (Home/Fax)
sean.barry at juno.com<mailto:sean.barry at juno.com>
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