Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On Jan 29, 2008, at 10:28 PM, Jerry B wrote:

> It  is claimed by Alan Yeoman's of Australia that
> simply by raising the fertility of the already cropped topsoils 1.5
> percent, we could remove all excess Carbon we have introduced  into  
> the
> atmosphere within only  ten years time. . . . I had hoped to read
> your analysis of yeomans thesis Gene, but it appears you must not have
> been much impressed, and I am wondering why.

Well, I'm working on other stuff, but I will give you this:

I've not read the book but I am aware of the message. For those in the  
dark, Allan J. Yeomans, in his book Priority One: Together We Can Beat  
Global Warming, proffers a menu of strategies to manage global  
temperature rise due to greenhouse gases. The pertinent connection  
here is his premise that we can sequester enough carbon in  
agricultural soil to halt global warming in about a decade. This would  
be accomplished by treating the soil as organic farmers do: low- or no- 
till, no chemicals, high humus input. Yeomans' book appears to be a  
fine effort and I hope his voice continues to be strong.

Rather than fear global warming, I welcome the challenge as a way to  
motivate humans to learn how to live more intelligently. It seems to  
me that the greatest challenge is from population growth. The  
widespread goal of living longer--which I share--contributes to the  
population problem. Excessive population will be handled by automatic  
correction. As human numbers grow and we become more consumptive there  
will be an exponential effect on Earth conditions. When Earth is  
sufficiently damaged then there will be population decrease. As humans  
gain more knowledge of Earth's mechanisms they will have the ability  
of make adjustments. Currently, and for the foreseeable future, too  
many disparate power sources with opposing agendas preclude  
coordinated intelligent response. Meaningful change will only occur  
when there is sufficient pain to create revolution. As forever, man  
will continue to evolve. The direction is unknowable.