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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] about biochar and food
  • Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 20:55:14 -0700


A post about biochar and food to another list
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ken, while I appreciate your efforts and enthusiasm on the subject, and that
of others, it's easy to miss the big picture. I contend that events have
overtaken much of our projects and aspirations for sustainability, and the
most critical project by far in the near term is local food security - local
production and storage and the supporting activities, training, networking,
and low tech to sustain it. If biochar can play a role in that then research
needs to show how now, not someday. I'll agree that in some isolated cases it
may be useful on a local level. But we do not have years left to pore over
studies and scholarly hair splitting.

You stated
>what is
>economically profitable depends on where you are and what you are doing--a
>quitessentially bioregional message.

I must add some desirable things cannot be economically profitable when none
of the necessary resources, time, and financing are available. Where will the
energy come from to make biochar and the necessary equipment over the next
few years, and what will it cost in a year or two? This is getting into the
big picture and ties in with the urgency of local food security without
fossil fuel-based fertilizers and pesticides. Fossil fuels are going to be
far too expensive to keep up industrial food production. How soon is the
question, and how critical is this.

There are so many sources moving the same direction it's hard to pick just
one to make the point, but this is a link to the University of California
report, Peak Energy, Climate Change, and the Collapse of Global Civilization:
The Current Peak Oil Crisis.
http://www.global.ucsb.edu/climateproject/papers/index.html

>From that site:
This report is a synthesis of the current state of knowledge on energy
resources and global climate and environmental change. The findings clearly
indicate that the convergence of peak energy resources and dangerous
anthropogenic climate and environmental change will likely have a disastrous
impact in the near- and long-term on the quantity and quality of human life
on the planet (see synopsis below).
The findings suggest:
* Global conventional oil production likely peaked around 2005 – 2011.
* Peak global production of coal, natural gas, and uranium resources will
likely occur by 2020 – 2030, if not sooner.
* Energy resource shortages post-peak oil will likely cause a systemic
collapse of global industrialized civilization in the near-term as the
abundant fossil fuel energy resources used to develop and support
industrialized economies become increasingly scarce.
* Current trends in land, soil, water, and biodiversity loss and
degradation, combined with potential climate change impacts, ocean
acidification, a mass extinction event, and energy scarcity will
significantly limit the human carrying capacity of the Earth.
In order to keep current on the issues of peak energy, climate change, and
economic decline which are occurring at an accelerating rate, relevant
updates will be made on the author's blog: Global Change Watch.
Peak Energy, Climate Change, and the Collapse of Global Civilization: The
Current Peak Oil Crisis (2nd Edition; November 2010) is a not-for-profit
report that is currently released as an eBook (pdf file). The eBook may be
freely downloaded, printed, and distributed:
~~~~~~~
This site shows key points and summary from that report
http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2010-12-14/peak-energy-climate-change-and-collapse-global-civilization-current-peak-oil-cris
Entire report:
http://www.global.ucsb.edu/climateproject/papers/pdf/Morrigan_2010_PECC2.pdf

One of many key points:
"The localization of economies will likely occur on a massive scale,
particularly the localization of the production of food, goods, and services."
~~~~~~~~

paul tradingpost@lobo.net







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