Carbon sequestration
Carbon sequestration is the removal from CO2 from the atmosphere or in its dissolved form in the Ocean and store it in a fixed or liquid form outside reach of both the atmosphere and the ocean. CO2 in the atmosphere is currently at a level of 400 parts per million (ppm) parts of molecules in a piece of atmosphere. Before the industrial revolution, around the year 1820, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere was 280 ppm. We therefore provoked an excess of 130 ppm in the atmosphere. This 130 ppm excess is equal to 277 Gigatons of CO2. Our Fossil fuel based society put even more CO2 into the atmosphere, since part of the excess CO2 is absorbed by the Ocean, Soils and the vegetation during these past 200 years. Every year our Fossil fuel based economy adds another 5 Gigaton to the atmosphere. Again a part of this is absorbed by the Oceans, Soils and Vegetation.
Having these numbers of 5 Gigaton and 277 Gigaton allows us to compute how much CO2 we need to sequester to restore our Climate and prevent a further heating up. Up to now society computes the costs of adaptation to the increase in heat. Adaptation can be done by building dikes and dams to prevent seawater entering lowlands or buying air conditioning systems to survive a period of heatwaves. Such adaptation does not prevent the natural system from further heating up, in fact it often accelerates the heating up, therefore we want to compute here the sequestration costs. The cost to get the excess CO2 out of the atmosphere and ocean.
Forest sequestration
The most evident manner to sequester CO2 is by planting a tree. 1 tree on average sequesters 1000 kg CO2 out of the atmosphere. For this work the tree needs on average 30 years. Once full grown the tree does not sequester much additional CO2 anymore. It comes into a balance and can live another 100 years. When the tree dies ultimately part of the CO2 is brought back into the atmosphere by processes of rotting. If the wood ends up in a standing pond, deprived from oxygen needed in the rotting process, the tree will be fossilised and the CO2 becomes part of the sediments of the lake. The numbers I mention are global averages, the type of tree, the climate, the soil properties and occurrence of diseases, fires all incite on the final number. In order to have an understanding of the order of our problem and possible solutions we now keep the figure of 1000 kg CO2 sequestered per tree.
As mentioned earlier the current economy ejects 5 Gigaton CO2 into the atmosphere. This is a 5 with nine zero’s. 5.000.000.000 ton CO2. 1 tree yields sequesters 1 ton (1000 kg) of CO2, so we need to plant 5.000.000.000 trees every year in order to correct for our current economy with a delay of 30 years.
In the tropics the price for a tree is about 2 $ per tree, hence the price for this exercise for material is 10 Billion dollar. The global domestic annual income is in the order of 60 Trillion dollar (3 zero’s more than a Billion). Hence the acquisition of the trees is 10/60000 = 0.016 % of the world economy. If every adult citizen plants 1 tree every year then we correct for our current economic model. Usually were people live trees can grow and space is abundant also in the sense that many forested areas burned in the last 10 years and it would make sense to reforest those areas first, with slow burning trees however, this time. To have an idea of the area we need to reforest we can assume that on 1 km2 we can plant 10.000 trees. So for the annual planting of 5.000.000.000 trees we need every year to set aside 500.000 km2. This slightly more than the size of Spain. But remember there is no need to reforest continuously. The main issue is to plant 5 billion trees each year and to keep it alive and not burn it. Trees along streets or along high ways might very well provide the right space. Although the recreation of real forests, that do not easily burn and have merely a wildlife refuge function is of course the best option.
Bamboo sequestration
Bamboo can sequester up to 3 times faster CO2 than trees. But bamboo also moulds away quicker. We can however sequester the bamboo as building material or just deliberately sequester it in ponds deprived of oxygen. Such areas also exists in nature, it are the edges of the continental shelf. One can sink grinded bamboo plastered with weight of mud or pebbles down the shelf. In areas where bamboo is a native species it can provide for fast sequestration even with a faster sequence of only 6 years. Bamboo could be used also as an air purification area around expanding cities in the tropics and sub tropics.
Peat
Peat can give way to carbon sequestration at the higher latitudes, although also peatlands in the tropics exists. In general wetlands store large amount of CO2 in the soil and peat accumulate the organic matter above the soil. Being limited to areas with high precipitation peats can help only in some areas. But their contribution can be significant. Also former peat lands that are now drained can be relatively easy restored. Often at no other costs than stopping to drain or pump.
Conclusion
If every citizen of the planet plants a tree per year and effectively add the wood of the tree to the environment (use it as construction material) and not to the atmosphere we can sequester all the CO2 the current economy ejects into the atmosphere. If this is combined with a lowering of the use of fossil fuels than we also start to gradually lower the excess CO2 in our atmosphere. The not quantified advantage of forestation, peatland recreation and bamboo cultivation is that the forests will cool down the areas, the peatland will retain water and make it available in dry periods and the bamboo has very good air quality purification properties. Therefore the main question remains? Why are we only focussing on the energy generation problem of the CO2 drama? Why are we not sucking it out of the air? Perhaps the economical model is too soft. No big earnings, no big industries. Time to push our politicians to lead the way and not to follow the money.
Carbon sequestration is the removal from CO2 from the atmosphere or in its dissolved form in the Ocean and store it in a fixed or liquid form outside reach of both the atmosphere and the ocean. CO2 in the atmosphere is currently at a level of 400 parts per million (ppm) parts of molecules in a piece of atmosphere. Before the industrial revolution, around the year 1820, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere was 280 ppm. We therefore provoked an excess of 130 ppm in the atmosphere. This 130 ppm excess is equal to 277 Gigatons of CO2. Our Fossil fuel based society put even more CO2 into the atmosphere, since part of the excess CO2 is absorbed by the Ocean, Soils and the vegetation during these past 200 years. Every year our Fossil fuel based economy adds another 5 Gigaton to the atmosphere. Again a part of this is absorbed by the Oceans, Soils and Vegetation.
Having these numbers of 5 Gigaton and 277 Gigaton allows us to compute how much CO2 we need to sequester to restore our Climate and prevent a further heating up. Up to now society computes the costs of adaptation to the increase in heat. Adaptation can be done by building dikes and dams to prevent seawater entering lowlands or buying air conditioning systems to survive a period of heatwaves. Such adaptation does not prevent the natural system from further heating up, in fact it often accelerates the heating up, therefore we want to compute here the sequestration costs. The cost to get the excess CO2 out of the atmosphere and ocean.
Forest sequestration
The most evident manner to sequester CO2 is by planting a tree. 1 tree on average sequesters 1000 kg CO2 out of the atmosphere. For this work the tree needs on average 30 years. Once full grown the tree does not sequester much additional CO2 anymore. It comes into a balance and can live another 100 years. When the tree dies ultimately part of the CO2 is brought back into the atmosphere by processes of rotting. If the wood ends up in a standing pond, deprived from oxygen needed in the rotting process, the tree will be fossilised and the CO2 becomes part of the sediments of the lake. The numbers I mention are global averages, the type of tree, the climate, the soil properties and occurrence of diseases, fires all incite on the final number. In order to have an understanding of the order of our problem and possible solutions we now keep the figure of 1000 kg CO2 sequestered per tree.
As mentioned earlier the current economy ejects 5 Gigaton CO2 into the atmosphere. This is a 5 with nine zero’s. 5.000.000.000 ton CO2. 1 tree yields sequesters 1 ton (1000 kg) of CO2, so we need to plant 5.000.000.000 trees every year in order to correct for our current economy with a delay of 30 years.
In the tropics the price for a tree is about 2 $ per tree, hence the price for this exercise for material is 10 Billion dollar. The global domestic annual income is in the order of 60 Trillion dollar (3 zero’s more than a Billion). Hence the acquisition of the trees is 10/60000 = 0.016 % of the world economy. If every adult citizen plants 1 tree every year then we correct for our current economic model. Usually were people live trees can grow and space is abundant also in the sense that many forested areas burned in the last 10 years and it would make sense to reforest those areas first, with slow burning trees however, this time. To have an idea of the area we need to reforest we can assume that on 1 km2 we can plant 10.000 trees. So for the annual planting of 5.000.000.000 trees we need every year to set aside 500.000 km2. This slightly more than the size of Spain. But remember there is no need to reforest continuously. The main issue is to plant 5 billion trees each year and to keep it alive and not burn it. Trees along streets or along high ways might very well provide the right space. Although the recreation of real forests, that do not easily burn and have merely a wildlife refuge function is of course the best option.
Bamboo sequestration
Bamboo can sequester up to 3 times faster CO2 than trees. But bamboo also moulds away quicker. We can however sequester the bamboo as building material or just deliberately sequester it in ponds deprived of oxygen. Such areas also exists in nature, it are the edges of the continental shelf. One can sink grinded bamboo plastered with weight of mud or pebbles down the shelf. In areas where bamboo is a native species it can provide for fast sequestration even with a faster sequence of only 6 years. Bamboo could be used also as an air purification area around expanding cities in the tropics and sub tropics.
Peat
Peat can give way to carbon sequestration at the higher latitudes, although also peatlands in the tropics exists. In general wetlands store large amount of CO2 in the soil and peat accumulate the organic matter above the soil. Being limited to areas with high precipitation peats can help only in some areas. But their contribution can be significant. Also former peat lands that are now drained can be relatively easy restored. Often at no other costs than stopping to drain or pump.
Conclusion
If every citizen of the planet plants a tree per year and effectively add the wood of the tree to the environment (use it as construction material) and not to the atmosphere we can sequester all the CO2 the current economy ejects into the atmosphere. If this is combined with a lowering of the use of fossil fuels than we also start to gradually lower the excess CO2 in our atmosphere. The not quantified advantage of forestation, peatland recreation and bamboo cultivation is that the forests will cool down the areas, the peatland will retain water and make it available in dry periods and the bamboo has very good air quality purification properties. Therefore the main question remains? Why are we only focussing on the energy generation problem of the CO2 drama? Why are we not sucking it out of the air? Perhaps the economical model is too soft. No big earnings, no big industries. Time to push our politicians to lead the way and not to follow the money.
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