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Can Dirt Save the Earth?

nytimes.com

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Re: Can Dirt Save the Earth?

#11

Post by strainer »

ars wrote: post #2

Nicely written article, but the author needs to have a conversation with a chemist on the difference between carbon, carbon dioxide, and hydrocarbons. The author calls all of them "carbon", making for confusing reading. Anyway if you need a summary: Spray cow manure on fields to encourage plant grown. Done right you can actually increase topsoil, burying older plants under newer ones and store hydrocarbons there. Bas…

It's the language of carbon capture which the IPCC uses. Of course they are aware of the differences between those molecules, but the common element of concern is - carbon.

Re: Can Dirt Save the Earth?

#13

Post by Bjorkbat »

discreteevent wrote: post #7
ars wrote: post #2

Nicely written article, but the author needs to have a conversation with a chemist on the difference between carbon, carbon dioxide, and hydrocarbons. The author calls all of them "carbon", making for confusing reading. Anyway if you need a summary: Spray cow manure on fields to encourage plant grown. Done right you can actually increase topsoil, burying older plants under newer ones and store hydrocarbons there. Bas…

The article seems to be saying, don't spray manure but compost made with manure. I'm not sure what that is. Is it manure mixed with plant compost?

I always love a chance to use my old farmer background on Hacker News.

So, manure is decaying animal excrement. Compost is decaying animal excrement plus some additional biological matter handled in such a way that certain species of bacteria take over. Basically, you turn it frequently.

What kind of bacteria take over? Aerobic ones. Now, granted, aerobic bacteria do produce greenhouse gases, but they're in the form of CO2, which really isn't so bad. By contrast, anaerobic bacteria release more potent greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrogen dioxide.

A big steaming pile of manure, left on its own, will easily be overtaken by anaerobic bacteria. With proper treatment, however, aerobic bacteria will dominate.

Re: Can Dirt Save the Earth?

#14

Post by strainer »

cjsawyer wrote: post #12
strainer wrote: post #5

Ive nabbed the cover photograph of a big steaming pile of dirt to fertilize my desktop environment with - its splendid :D

It reminds me a little too much of my family’s cattle ranch. No thanks!

I can appreciate, but will see how long it keeps its charm.

...I hardly ever see my desktop anyway.

Re: Can Dirt Save the Earth?

#15

Post by vkou »

CM30 wrote: post #10
scumblr wrote: post #4

I love reading about clever ideas like this, but at the same time, I'm leery of the notion that we can fix the climate at the last minute, a narrative that stems from the late capitalist imperative to innovate. We don't need to innovate to find a solution; we need to act.

There is no other way. Any attempt to get people to 'change' their lifestyle now is ineffective, and any attempt to force them to will just be met with a coup/failed government. At the end of the day, technology is the only thing that will fix climate issues. Anything else is simply not possible.

And if we don't develop the technology in time?

Re: Can Dirt Save the Earth?

#16

Post by monkeydreams »

Australian farmers, suffering through yet another "unexpectedly intensive" drought, could learn a lot from this. I mean they won't, but they could.

Instead they will whinge and complain and put their hands out and watch their stock die and, when rain falls again, they will take the government-aid cheques and overstock their land and continue the laziest, dumbest form of farming they could import from the cooler, wetter climes of England.

Re: Can Dirt Save the Earth?

#17

Post by ars »

scumblr wrote: post #4

I love reading about clever ideas like this, but at the same time, I'm leery of the notion that we can fix the climate at the last minute, a narrative that stems from the late capitalist imperative to innovate. We don't need to innovate to find a solution; we need to act.

> we need to act

What actions are you suggesting?

And keep in mind that any action that reduces standard of living will cause deaths, and ultimately more emissions because people won't have spare more for environmental causes.

So bearing that in mind, what actions are you suggesting?

Re: Can Dirt Save the Earth?

#18

Post by [deleted] »

vkou wrote: post #15
CM30 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no other way. Any attempt to get people to 'change' their lifestyle now is ineffective, and any attempt to force them to will just be met with a coup/failed government. At the end of the day, technology is the only thing that will fix climate issues. Anything else is simply not possible.

And if we don't develop the technology in time?

[deleted]

Re: Can Dirt Save the Earth?

#20

Post by petecox »

Bjorkbat wrote: post #13
discreteevent wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article seems to be saying, don't spray manure but compost made with manure. I'm not sure what that is. Is it manure mixed with plant compost?

I always love a chance to use my old farmer background on Hacker News. So, manure is decaying animal excrement. Compost is decaying animal excrement plus some additional biological matter handled in such a way that certain species of bacteria take over. Basically, you turn it frequently. What kind of bacteria take over? Aerobic ones. Now, granted, aerobic bacteria do produce greenhouse gases, but they're in the form…

Manure is basically a monoculture of whatever the cow ate - i.e. decomposing grass.

Worms and bugs need a balanced diet. So a farmer will, presumably, add crop and other agricultural waste to cultivate these helpful aerobics.

(I'm only a backyard horticulturalist. Gardening experts stress adding a balance of leaves, grass clippings and miscellaneous 'organic material' to one's vegie scraps for a healthy urban compost.)

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