[Terrapreta] carbon sequestration but where is TP?

[Sean K. Barry]

Hi Michael,

I was questioning about this topic sometime back, too.  If biochar enhances the activity of soil microorganisms, which actually do produce green house gases; CO2, H2O, CH4 and maybe even N2O, then will biochar potentially make GHG emissions from soil greater than they are currently?  Or, do the microorganisms prevent gas off more by fixing the carbon and nitrogen into their own living and growing molecular structures and populations?  The plants and the soil respire the atmosphere together.  When the biochar is in the soil, does it not also increase plant growth (we all say it does?!), thereby reducing GHG concentrations?  These are tough questions to guess at I think and perhaps very tough to test or measure and achieve answers for them either.

I think there is inertia or hysteresis, though, in the natural systems.  They will adapt slowly.  Humans have been pumping CO2 into the atmosphere wholesale for all of only 150 years and the natural systems are not adapting to achieve the equilibrium they had before we started.  What will happen to these systems?  Will plants and soil adapt slowly to live in an atmosphere with a higher GHG concentration or will they adapt to drive those concentrations down?  Maybe the adaptation to do one will cause the other?  Al Gore's CO2 chart showed CO2 concentrations and global average temperatures bouncing up and down several times in the past 800,000 years.  I think the natural systems will repeat that, somehow.

The human factor appears an accelerant on the upswing side of things.  Can humans turn that around and make it swing back down quickly?  Before people, the natural systems normalized the CO2 concentrations, temperatures, and probably plant and soil microorganism populations and types all by themselves  (and slowly, with intervening ice ages and shit).  Now the human factor, "the wrench" thrown into the works as it has been ... Is that going to push the natural systems beyond their ability to adapt?  My guess would be NO!, ... given the history of things like volcanic activity and just the formation of the planet, in general.  Nature will come back, just like it emerged on an atmosphere-less planet to begin with.  I have no doubt of this.  I also do not expect it to be rapid.

But since we effected a change one way, can we effect the other change, back towards the natural equilibrium point, by making TP soils?  Do we have to even do that?  It kind of looks like we might have pushed the world to be a more "Hellish" place than it was before and that lots of people will die as a result of this.  Some say, humans are "the most adaptable" of all species yet known.  Maybe, those of us that survive will just adapt and we will never put the atmosphere back to the equilibrium point because it will be cheaper and possible for us to just adapt?  (humans are lazy bastards on the whole) This, I think I would call the "Now you've made your bed, and you've pissed in it, so now you'll lay in it" approach.  The "Sooner" approach.  I think it is the same thing as what is called Conservatism, the GOP, and/or Bushiness.


Regards,

SKB
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Michael Bailes<mailto:michaelangelica at gmail.com> 
  To: Edward Someus<mailto:edward at terrenum.net> ; Terrapreta<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> 
  Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 10:16 PM
  Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] carbon sequestration but where is TP?


  At the IAI confrence this year they were doing sums about this.
  They lost me completely but something must be in the proceedings.

  It is fairly obvious from archeology that char lasts along time
  Some too must be used.? 
  I'm sure the IAI people had away of working this out
  Necessary for farmers to claim carbon credits.

  The one thing i am not sure of is weather microflora/fauna produce greeen-house gasses.
  i asked this question but was told it was not important/significant 
  **************
  Last night on TV it wss reported that there has been a3 % increase in world humidity (not sure about the time frame)
  This is one 'gas' that seems to be 'under the radar'. With new dams popping up everyear and more urban water use & irrigation this is a factor in GW that never gets a mention. 

  There are "air water harvesters' that work even in desert areas. I wonder how good they are for remote communities? and if they can be solar powered.


  On 12/10/2007, Edward Someus <edward at terrenum.net<mailto:edward at terrenum.net>> wrote: 

         

               
               
               
         




  -- 
  Michael the Archangel

  "You can fix all the world's problems in a garden. . . . 
  Most people don't know that"
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