Nitrous Oxide – A forgotten greenhouse gas • Hacker News Board

Re: Nitrous Oxide – A forgotten greenhouse gas

#51

Post by stinos » Fri, Aug 20, 2021, 11:08 AM UTC

warvariuc wrote: post #28

stinos wrote: post #23

Also interesting to note: the heavy use of nitrogen fertiliser is also one of the reasons for the biodiversity crisis. Which according to some is a problem just as serious as the climate crisis, but is much less reported on in global media. Basic principle for the operation: plants which thrive well on nitrogen (think fast-growing grasses, nettles, ...) get an advantage over other plants (typically slower growing lon…

Similar logic applies to the case when we would use laser robots to get rid of weeds. It's artificial selection. Are you suggesting we should stop fighting weeds/insects to get better crops?

Not really sure what you're hinting at, but yes using robots instead of herbicides would be a step forward. Robots can be programmed to not leak out into surrounding nature.

And actually yes maintaining a variety of weeds/bush around crops has been shown to be beneficial in certain circumstances: more insects attract more predators of all kinds and as such can create an ecosystem which lead to less plagues on the crops. Not gonna work for insanely large monocultures, but tossing away the idea is also not needed.

Re: Nitrous Oxide – A forgotten greenhouse gas

#52

Post by hutzlibu » Fri, Aug 20, 2021, 11:19 AM UTC

stinos wrote: post #51

warvariuc wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Similar logic applies to the case when we would use laser robots to get rid of weeds. It's artificial selection. Are you suggesting we should stop fighting weeds/insects to get better crops?

Not really sure what you're hinting at, but yes using robots instead of herbicides would be a step forward. Robots can be programmed to not leak out into surrounding nature. And actually yes maintaining a variety of weeds/bush around crops has been shown to be beneficial in certain circumstances: more insects attract more predators of all kinds and as such can create an ecosystem which lead to less plagues on the cro…

"Not gonna work for insanely large monocultures"

Those in combination with pesticides and insecticides are the main theat to diversity.

From the point of an ecosystem, those fields are desserts, cutting of different systems, so most species cannot travel and connect, which is something they need to.

Re: Nitrous Oxide – A forgotten greenhouse gas

#53

Post by throwaway769879 » Fri, Aug 20, 2021, 11:47 AM UTC

Gravityloss wrote: post #38

PanosJee wrote: post #36

Augmenta.ag fixes that They use machine vision & hyperapectral cameras to estimate nitrogen on the leaves and accordingly spread more, less or no fertilizer.

These are the kind of companies where it's easy to see it's net positive. It's not trying to sell something that spends more resources, instead it reduces resource usage.

Given the resources needed to construct, maintain and operate such machines, i wouldn't be so sure

Re: Nitrous Oxide – A forgotten greenhouse gas

#54

Post by mnw21cam » Fri, Aug 20, 2021, 11:56 AM UTC

Zababa wrote: post #21

lmilcin wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you understood what I wrote? Methane is being emitted in a natural process from thawing permafrost. There are vast quantities of organic matter that has been frozen for thousands of years and is now starting getting eaten by bacteria that produce methane. All human-made emissions pale in comparison to natural process. There is no way to turn it off unless you can build a giant AC unit over entire arctic or maybe…

> There is no way to turn it off unless you can build a giant AC unit over entire arctic or maybe you can dig entire siberian soil and send it to Mars. Not realistic but you could dig part of the soil and put it somewhere sealed, and periodically compress the methane and store it into something.

Do you realise how big Siberia is?

Re: Nitrous Oxide – A forgotten greenhouse gas

#55

Post by aaaaaaaaaaab » Fri, Aug 20, 2021, 11:57 AM UTC

Forgotten? We used to huff that stuff all the time as teenagers.

Re: Nitrous Oxide – A forgotten greenhouse gas

#56

Post by ben_w » Fri, Aug 20, 2021, 11:58 AM UTC

lmilcin wrote: post #17

ben_w wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We can greatly reduce production of methane, even if not eliminate it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane_emissions

Have you understood what I wrote? Methane is being emitted in a natural process from thawing permafrost. There are vast quantities of organic matter that has been frozen for thousands of years and is now starting getting eaten by bacteria that produce methane. All human-made emissions pale in comparison to natural process. There is no way to turn it off unless you can build a giant AC unit over entire arctic or maybe…

1. That’s not what you wrote in the comment I first replied to

2. My link also contradicts your new claim that artificial CH4 pales in comparison to natural process from thawing permafrost (if ‘natural’ is even what we wish to call it when it’s only melting because of anthropogenic climate change)

Re: Nitrous Oxide – A forgotten greenhouse gas

#57

Post by aaaaaaaaaaab » Fri, Aug 20, 2021, 11:59 AM UTC

charbonneau wrote: post #25

esarbe wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. Although I'd put it like this: We're racing towards extinction and almost everyone tries to put the pedal to the metal because it benefits them just enough in the short run. Classic tragedy of the commons!

Not me! I drive a Tesla.

How did you produce your wealth that let you buy your Tesla? Accounting for that, is your ecological footprint still smaller than that of a working class person driving a 1995 Honda Civic?

Re: Nitrous Oxide – A forgotten greenhouse gas

#58

Post by hkt » Fri, Aug 20, 2021, 12:25 PM UTC

TeMPOraL wrote: post #34

hkt wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is also worth shouting out the fact that healthy biospheres sequester carbon..

Only when growing. Stable biosphere is carbon neutral.

Not so. Stable biospheres continuously deposit carbon in the soil.

Re: Nitrous Oxide – A forgotten greenhouse gas

#59

Post by throwaway0a5e » Fri, Aug 20, 2021, 12:41 PM UTC

charbonneau wrote: post #25

esarbe wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. Although I'd put it like this: We're racing towards extinction and almost everyone tries to put the pedal to the metal because it benefits them just enough in the short run. Classic tragedy of the commons!

Not me! I drive a Tesla.

I'm going to assume that was supposed to be sarcasm and it is a) going over people's head and b) being willfully misinterpreted because it hits too close to home.

Re: Nitrous Oxide – A forgotten greenhouse gas

#60

Post by Zababa » Fri, Aug 20, 2021, 12:47 PM UTC

mnw21cam wrote: post #54

Zababa wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There is no way to turn it off unless you can build a giant AC unit over entire arctic or maybe you can dig entire siberian soil and send it to Mars. Not realistic but you could dig part of the soil and put it somewhere sealed, and periodically compress the methane and store it into something.

Do you realise how big Siberia is?

Partially, which is why I said "not realistic" at the beginning of my post. I think that my solution is a bit better of a solution than a giant AC over Siberia or sending that soil into space, but all three are not realistic.