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The Biochar Solution: Carbon Farming and Climate Change
Civilization as we know it is at a crossroads. For the past 10,000 years, we have turned a growing understanding of physics, chemistry and biology to our advantage in producing more energy and more food and as a consequence have produced exponential population surges, resource depletion, ocean acidification, desertification and climate change.
The path we are following began with long-ago discoveries in agriculture, but it divided into two branches, about 8,000 years ago. The branch we have been following for the most part is conventional farming -- irrigation, tilling the soil, and removing weeds and pests. That branch has degraded soil carbon levels by as much as 80 percent in most of the world's breadbaskets, sending all that carbon skyward with each pass of the plow.
The other branch disappeared from our view some 500 years ago, although archaeologists are starting to pick up its trail now. At one time it achieved success as great as the agriculture that we know, producing exponential population surges and great cities, but all that was lost in a fluke historical event borne of a single genetic quirk.
It vanished when European and Asian diseases arrived in the Americas.
From excavations on the banks of the Amazon river, clearings of the savanna/gallery forests in the Upper Xingu, and ethnographic studies of Mesoamerican milpas, science has now re-traced the path of the second great agriculture, and, to its astonishment, found it more sustainable and productive that what we are currently pursuing.
While conventional agriculture leads to deserts, blowing parched dirt across the globe and melting ice caps, this other, older style, brings fertile soils, plant and animal diversity and birdsong. While the agriculture we use has been shifting Earth's carbon balance from soil and living vegetation to atmosphere and ocean, the agriculture that was nearly lost moves carbon from sky to soil and crops. The needed shift, once embarked upon, can be profound and immediate. We could once more become a garden planet, with deep black earths and forests of fruit and nuts where deserts now stand. We can heal our atmosphere and oceans.
Come along on this journey of rediscovery with The Biochar Carbon Farming and Climate Change.
The path we are following began with long-ago discoveries in agriculture, but it divided into two branches, about 8,000 years ago. The branch we have been following for the most part is conventional farming -- irrigation, tilling the soil, and removing weeds and pests. That branch has degraded soil carbon levels by as much as 80 percent in most of the world's breadbaskets, sending all that carbon skyward with each pass of the plow.
The other branch disappeared from our view some 500 years ago, although archaeologists are starting to pick up its trail now. At one time it achieved success as great as the agriculture that we know, producing exponential population surges and great cities, but all that was lost in a fluke historical event borne of a single genetic quirk.
It vanished when European and Asian diseases arrived in the Americas.
From excavations on the banks of the Amazon river, clearings of the savanna/gallery forests in the Upper Xingu, and ethnographic studies of Mesoamerican milpas, science has now re-traced the path of the second great agriculture, and, to its astonishment, found it more sustainable and productive that what we are currently pursuing.
While conventional agriculture leads to deserts, blowing parched dirt across the globe and melting ice caps, this other, older style, brings fertile soils, plant and animal diversity and birdsong. While the agriculture we use has been shifting Earth's carbon balance from soil and living vegetation to atmosphere and ocean, the agriculture that was nearly lost moves carbon from sky to soil and crops. The needed shift, once embarked upon, can be profound and immediate. We could once more become a garden planet, with deep black earths and forests of fruit and nuts where deserts now stand. We can heal our atmosphere and oceans.
Come along on this journey of rediscovery with The Biochar Carbon Farming and Climate Change.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
17 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 5, 2012
If you are familiar with biochar and its purpose, then this book may be wonderful. However, I picked it off a recommended list of permaculture books with almost no previous knowledge. The author presupposes a basic understanding of biochar that I did not have and from there runs into all kinds of rabbit trails about ancient civilizations, grazing animals and cookstoves (among other things) and finally loosely brings them together somewhere around page 130. I didn't really get the book until about page 170 where the author quotes a passage from a conference on reducing carbon emissions. This is when things finally fell into place with me and some of my most basic questions were answered (such as why is biochar particularly good at sequestering carbon?). The author could have written a two page paper quoting that section and then listing a few bullet points afterward.
I also have to say that there are some fairly illogical conclusions (or non-conclusions?) in this book. For instance, on of the rabbit trails discusses how grazing animals are necessary to build good soils and maintain prairie grass. However, today America's prairies have been plowed under to grow grains that we feed to animals in intensive farming systems. These systems are notorious for releasing tons of carbon into our atmosphere. The author concludes that we need more grazing animals to maintain native soils, but how can we do this when our system of raising animals releases so much carbon? Um.. aren't we missing something here? It has been speculated elsewhere that if we stop growing grains in the US and allow the land to go back to its native prairie and freeing up millions of acres of land for grazing animals that we will actually create a carbon sink. The author doesn't discuss this at all, possibly because there is no need for biochar in this solution. It just seemed like a very illogical and somewhat narrow-minded (not to mention completely off topic) conclusion by the author.
Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about biochar.
I also have to say that there are some fairly illogical conclusions (or non-conclusions?) in this book. For instance, on of the rabbit trails discusses how grazing animals are necessary to build good soils and maintain prairie grass. However, today America's prairies have been plowed under to grow grains that we feed to animals in intensive farming systems. These systems are notorious for releasing tons of carbon into our atmosphere. The author concludes that we need more grazing animals to maintain native soils, but how can we do this when our system of raising animals releases so much carbon? Um.. aren't we missing something here? It has been speculated elsewhere that if we stop growing grains in the US and allow the land to go back to its native prairie and freeing up millions of acres of land for grazing animals that we will actually create a carbon sink. The author doesn't discuss this at all, possibly because there is no need for biochar in this solution. It just seemed like a very illogical and somewhat narrow-minded (not to mention completely off topic) conclusion by the author.
Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about biochar.
May 16, 2011
While BioChar has some issues due to it's susceptibility towards not being used correctly, if it is done right, and if it doesn't get over-used, it has a true place in the way humans can possibly reverse the damage that has been done by over-using fossil fuels. What I liked about this book was the way Mr. Bates looked at it from many different ways. It does get technical, and I had to skim over some parts, but that only adds to the completeness of his survey.
January 3, 2014
Albert Bates thinks that a carefully monitored program of producing biochar and then using to revitalize damaged soils can sequester a lot of carbon, feed many more people and be part of repairing our atmosphere to prevent runaway climate change. I think he made a convincing case.
November 5, 2022
Supposed to tell the story of Biochar and its implications for carbon and climate. Instead just jumps around, lots of aggressive claims not founded in science, and little to no explanation on many of these . "we must limit our consumption of meat and dairy" fails to even touch on the nuance of this, never discusses regenerative livestock
June 4, 2022
Decent intro that imo lacks depth and scientific underpinning
January 25, 2013
Read it while staying at a friends house. Got half way through and don't know when I'll ever get the opportunity to read the rest. Let's just call it done.
Very engaging in it's writing style with interesting historical notes to accompany the detailed technical parts. Maybe tough for some people to follow when it gets into the chemistry/biology/physics side, but it's not all that intense. Biochar is something that I would love to try when/if I have my own farm and I would definitely refer to this book for help in implementing the method.
Very engaging in it's writing style with interesting historical notes to accompany the detailed technical parts. Maybe tough for some people to follow when it gets into the chemistry/biology/physics side, but it's not all that intense. Biochar is something that I would love to try when/if I have my own farm and I would definitely refer to this book for help in implementing the method.
December 22, 2012
A very complete perspective on biochar that gives a great historical background and in-depth coverage on all aspects of production and how it can fit into dealing with our global climate issues.
January 8, 2016
Although I find the author's writing a little disjointed, I can't help but give this a 5 star rating. I can't stop thinking about the ways I can go about helping to save the world!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews