[Terrapreta] Biochar attacked in Gristmill: please leave your comments

[lou gold]

Hi Folks,

In the vernacular, let me just say we need to "chill."
NO, biochar is NOT being attacked. There was a poor
piece of journalism that will result in it being picked up
in a variety of places -- mostly among our friends. Each
time it happens, it is a marvelous opportunity to gain more
audience. Just write a calm informative response that
takes the opportunity to inform and educate an audience
that still knows little about biochar.

BTW, as a friend of Grist, I must say that they often get
things wrong -- just like the rest of us. The beauty of blogging
is that it is a endlessly correcting conversation. So just go for
it -- it's an opportunity.

hugs,   lou




On Mon, May 5, 2008 at 8:05 PM, Biopact <biopact at biopact.com> wrote:

>  Dear colleagues,
> the very popular blog Gristmill has taken up the press release about the
> research by Dr Wardle. This is what it says:
>
> =========
>  Monday bummer blogging Posted by JMG (Guest Contributor) at 3:16 PM on 05
> May 2008 *Read more about:* greenhouse-gas emissions | extinction |
> climate | climate change impacts
> *Tools:* print | email | + digg | + del.icio.us | + reddit | + stumbleupon
>
> Damn, one of the more promising ideas, biochar, seems to be a little less
> promising than hoped:
>
> ... a new study ... suggests that *these supposed benefits of biochar may
> be somewhat overstated*.
>
> ... They found that when charcoal was mixed into humus ... charcoal caused
> greatly increased losses of native soil organic matter, and soil carbon ...
> Much of this lost soil carbon would be released as carbon dioxide, a
> greenhouse gas. Therefore, *while it is true that charcoal represents a
> long term sink of carbon because of its persistence, this effect is at least
> partially offset by the capacity of charcoal to greatly promote the loss of
> that carbon already present in the soil*.
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Feel free to replicate the discussion we've had here over at Gristmill.
>
> http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/5/2/211036/2352#1
>
> The press release describing Dr Wardle's research is really damaging the
> Terra Preta idea.
>
> It's unfortunate that Wardle didn't ask the person who wrote the press
> release to frame things in a more narrow context, as his findings definitely
> have no bearing on biochar as such (remember: nobody ever suggested using
> biochar in SOM-rich soils, on the contrary.)
>
> I hope prof Lehmann or Dr Steiner visit Gristmill too, to leave a note.
>
>
>
>
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>



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