A different take on biodiesel

[rebeccmeister]

I just read a quick commentary in the journal Nature about a controversial proposal to counteract the effects of global warming. The proposal writer coined the phrase "global gardening" and suggested that we can do a better job of more actively creating and maintaining long-term carbon sinks by growing vast swaths of plants in the name of climate change. When I phrase it this way, it seems like new spin on an old idea, and it pretty much is. The idea is that we do this in hope of managing/reducing amount of carbon in the atmosphere and turn around processes of global climate change within a few decades. It's an alternative message to the "stop spewing stuff into the atmosphere and trading silly carbon credits in a debt-run system." Simply phrased, it's a "Get out of debt" plan.

This got me thinking about the push to discover and develop more alternative energy sources, like the promotion of corn-based ethanol. Hey man, it's still fuel and energy consumption. It addresses one sliver of the pie, but ignores a lot of it.

That got me thinking about Wendell Berry again, who has pointed out some really energy-efficient vehicles that are right under our noses. They're called farm animals. Sure, we hear about cow farts and the like and their contributions of methane to the atmosphere, but I'm not talking about CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operation) here. I'm talking about horses. They eat grass, and convert it from vegetative matter into muscles and energy, which humans have been using to perform work for thousands of years. Also, as Berry has pointed out, they're nice to be around, which is more than one can say of most vehicles that belch out exhaust. And they do it without having to be shipped to a central processing factory or the addition of any other extra industrial processes.

We could add in human-powered vehicles as well, which are a pleasure to operate so long as they aren't stuck behind any carbon-belchers.

So, whaddaya say, US Government? How about if we invest more of our resources in changing the scale of things, instead of trying to develop newer technology to solve the problems created by new technology? (oh wait, I've left Big Business Interests out of the picture--sorry, guys) How about if we use multi-factor solutions that have been working for a long time instead of stealing from our future selves?

Berry, I think you're in my brain and convincing me of things.

Comments

horse power

[(Anonymous)]

http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/343/

Re: horse power

[rebeccmeister.livejournal.com]

Simply posting a link to an article seems like a poor way to convince me that even clicking on it is worth my time. What makes it connected and relevant?

Re: horse power

[(Anonymous)]

I apologize. I won't do that again.

Re: horse power

[rebeccmeister.livejournal.com]

But you haven't answered the question, o Lurker!