The Whole World Must Be Carbon Free By 2050 Is Industrial Hemp Part Of The Solution?

[Ganjarden]

EPA scientists submitted a draft report to President Bush with statements such as these:

The IPCC identifies the most vulnerable world regions as the Arctic, because of high rates of projected warming on natural systems; Africa, especially the sub-Saharan region, because of current low adaptive capacity as well as climate change; small islands, due to high exposure of population and infrastructure to risk of sea-level rise and increased storm surge; and Asian mega deltas, due to large populations and high exposure to sea level rise, storm surge and river flooding. Climate change impacts in certain regions of the world may exacerbate problems that raise humanitarian and national security issues for the U.S. Climate change has been described as a potential threat multiplier regarding national security issues.


Projected global warming is anticipated to lead to effects in the U.S. For instance, all of the U.S. is very likely to warm during this century, and most areas of the U.S. are expected to warm by more than the global average. The U.S, along with the rest of the world, is projected to see an increase in the intensity of precipitation events and the risk of flooding, greater runoff and erosion, and thus the potential for adverse water quality effects.

The New York Times reported White House Refused to Open Pollutants E-Mail.

But Brian Merchant sees it differently. In Secret Report Revealed: Bush Admin Determined CO2 to be Public Threat in 2007 Marchant reports that Vice President Dick Chaney and other oil interests convinced President Bush to seal the EPA report.

Mark Hertsgaard of The Nation reports Schellnhuber and his WBGU colleagues go a giant step beyond the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the UN body whose scientific reports are constrained because the world's governments must approve their contents. The IPCC says that by 2020 rich industrial countries must cut emissions 25 to 40 percent (compared with 1990) if the world is to have a fair chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change. By contrast, the WBGU study says the United States must cut emissions 100 percent by 2020 -- in other words, quit carbon entirely within ten years. Germany and other industrial nations must do the same by 2025 to 2030. China only has until 2035, and the world as a whole must be carbon free by 2050. The study adds that big polluters can delay their day of reckoning by "buying" emissions rights from developing countries, a step the study estimates would extend some countries' deadlines by a decade or so.

According th Hemp Global Solutions, hemp's rapid growth makes it one of the fastest CO2-to-biomass conversion tools available, more efficient than agro-forestry per land use. Hemp grows in diverse soil types and conditions without the need for chemical inputs and improves soil structure while also protecting and binding soil. Hemp also adds nutrients to soil by tapping into sub-soil nutrients other plants cannot access. It also destroys nematodes and other soil pests, resulting in improved yields of follow on crops. With the additional benefits of high nutrition and versatile biomass for raw materials, hemp offers a path to sustainable living in harmony with the environment and eco-systems we depend on.

Hemp Global Solutions offers some of the easiest-to-understand information about how hemp can contribute to the global climate change crisis the world is facing.

The site devotes an entire section to explain in everyday language that since accurate records began in 1850, atmospheric CO2 had increased from pre-industrial levels of 280 parts per million (ppm) to 360 ppm, by 2000. Emitted in a historically short period, this represents an enormous 42 % increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. An analysis of future global trends in greenhouse gas emissions has shown that if we continue at the present rate, by 2100 this figure will rise to 540-970 ppm. It is clear that the situation is serious and needs immediate attention.

Fossil fuel consumption and unsustainable land use conversions can be considered the most responsible for climate change. Around 80% of the CO2 being added to the atmosphere each year currently comes directly from the burning of natural gas, and coal and oil deposits. Combustion of fossil fuel releases their carbon content into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas (CO2), increasing the total quantity of CO2 in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide has the capacity to trap energy from sunlight, the so-called 'Greenhouse Effect'.

Hemp can be used as a short term solution to the climate change challenge, simultaneously increasing soil carbon, locking carbon into raw materials and replacing unsustainable raw materials across several industries. It is an adaptable, hardy, multi-purpose crop that can play an important role in reducing and repairing human environmental damage.

Hemp is far less vulnerable to changes in climate compared to slow to medium growth forests and still has the most useful biochemical characteristics of hardwood. In addition, hemp is a very versatile crop, not just in terms of use value, but also in terms of how it can be managed by farmers. Growing hemp on deforested hillsides prevent landslides, run-off and also prepares land for future crops or reforestation. Large scale tree planting is not feasible without providing an immediate and sustainable alternative to forest resources used by the majority of the worlds population for cooking heating and raw materials. Hemp produces several metric tons of versatile biomass per hectare annually or bi-annually in hotter climates, potentially protecting old growth forests.

An industrial hemp bill has been introduced by Barney Frank and Ron Paul. Indications are that there is not enough public interest in industrial hemp to bring the bill to a vote this session.


News Hawk- Ganjarden http://www.420Magazine.com
Source: Examiner.com
Author: Dev Meyers
Contact: Examiner.com
Copyright: 2009 Clarity Digital Group LLC d/b/a Examiner.com.
Website: The Whole World Must Be Carbon Free By 2050 - Is Industrial Hemp Part Of The Solution?

[GanjaAL2]

I say India, china and Russia take the lead and America can fallow.

Yes hemp could aid in helping the earth.