Comments on: Carbon Offset Schemes http://www.envirojean.com/2008/09/24/carbon-offset-schemes/ Save Money with ISO 14001 and other systems Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:14:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Jean Cannon http://www.envirojean.com/2008/09/24/carbon-offset-schemes/comment-page-1/#comment-1888 Jean Cannon Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:02:45 +0000 http://www.envirojean.com/2008/09/24/carbon-offset-schemes/#comment-1888 Thank you James. I agree! I don't like most of the "sticks in the ground" schemes. Personally I have supported Trees for life for many years, many because I believe they generally improve the local environments and provide habitats that can help maintain diversity. I don't consider them as a carbon offset I think there is a lot of potential for Sugar and Bamboo and similar giant grasses because they form special nodules or carbon "rocks" near their roots that last for a VERY long time. These are great for carbon sequestration! Not as "sexy" for politicians to "sell" for wasting money on research. They prefer something that sounds higher tech! Don't I sound cynical! Thank you James.
I agree! I don’t like most of the “sticks in the ground” schemes. Personally I have supported Trees for life for many years, many because I believe they generally improve the local environments and provide habitats that can help maintain diversity. I don’t consider them as a carbon offset

I think there is a lot of potential for Sugar and Bamboo and similar giant grasses because they form special nodules or carbon “rocks” near their roots that last for a VERY long time. These are great for carbon sequestration!

Not as “sexy” for politicians to “sell” for wasting money on research. They prefer something that sounds higher tech! Don’t I sound cynical!

]]> By: James Joyce http://www.envirojean.com/2008/09/24/carbon-offset-schemes/comment-page-1/#comment-1858 James Joyce Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:58:08 +0000 http://www.envirojean.com/2008/09/24/carbon-offset-schemes/#comment-1858 Jean, I have several problems with carbon offsetting through tree planting. 1. Ultimately there are limits to how many trees you can plant before you start taking land away from food crops and/or displacing native forrests. 2. With some exceptions trees are not a vey efficient carbon storage mechanism. They are slower growing than may other crops and have to yield the carbon back to the atmosphere in a roughly 100 year time frame, as long as some keeps looking after them for that timeframe. 3. Large plantations can easily become a carbon source in the event of mismangement and/or wildfires. I predict there will be a few "convenient" fires in the next few decades as all the cheap tree planting land is used up. 4. I am an advocate for carbon offset funds going into CO2 emissions displacement technologies, in particular solar hot water, biomass cogeneration, landfill methane cogeneration and wind generation. There are a host of others. Promoting these can cause a structural change in our economy that planting trees will not. My technical background is in sugar industry cogeneration. I would be happy to outline the potential and benefits some time if you are interested, perhaps on a web forum. I would like to convince one or more of those 60 funds you mentioned to take a fresh approach to carbon offsetting. regards James Jean, I have several problems with carbon offsetting through tree planting.

1. Ultimately there are limits to how many trees you can plant before you start taking land away from food crops and/or displacing native forrests.

2. With some exceptions trees are not a vey efficient carbon storage mechanism. They are slower growing than may other crops and have to yield the carbon back to the atmosphere in a roughly 100 year time frame, as long as some keeps looking after them for that timeframe.

3. Large plantations can easily become a carbon source in the event of mismangement and/or wildfires. I predict there will be a few “convenient” fires in the next few decades as all the cheap tree planting land is used up.

4. I am an advocate for carbon offset funds going into CO2 emissions displacement technologies, in particular solar hot water, biomass cogeneration, landfill methane cogeneration and wind generation. There are a host of others. Promoting these can cause a structural change in our economy that planting trees will not.

My technical background is in sugar industry cogeneration. I would be happy to outline the potential and benefits some time if you are interested, perhaps on a web forum. I would like to convince one or more of those 60 funds you mentioned to take a fresh approach to carbon offsetting.

regards

James

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