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The Forum > Article Comments > A sustainable footprint > Comments

A sustainable footprint : Comments

By Barney Foran, published 29/11/2006

Requirements for sustainability - the future’s in our hands.

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Barney, this is so good.

More please - much more.
Posted by Chris Shaw, Carisbrook 3464, Wednesday, 29 November 2006 10:39:37 AM
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I never thought I would need to quote Herman Goring but, "whenever I hear the word sustainability I reach for my revolver". It is the most abused term in the dictionary and a favoured tool of the word molesters who use it to flog an endless procession of quasi-leftist cliches masquerading as "new economics". And this piece is no exception.

At its core is a fundamental intellectual incapacity to distinguish between a problem and an opportunity. A good example is the Author's reference to Nitrogen and Carbon as core elements that we must limit our use of. And on the face of it this seems sensible enough but 80% of our atmosphere is nitrogen and, when added to crops, it has proven very useful for keeping stomachs full. We get the usual list of adverse effects of excesses of nitrogen like soil acidity, etc but we don't get any consideration of the role of carbon in fixing the problem.

Carbon is only 0.04% of our atmosphere and we are told that this is excessive but nothing fixes acidic soil like Calcium Carbonate. We can get it from limestone, marble and coral but we can also get it from carbon emissions from fossil fuels etc. We just haven't got around to working out how to turn what is currently a waste product into a valuable resource.

And the simple economic and social facts of life are that these innovations are only developed by investing surpluses. And those surpluses are only produced in either expanding economies or through exploitation, usually a bit of both. And the more we have of the former the less we have of the latter.
Posted by Perseus, Wednesday, 29 November 2006 10:57:10 AM
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Yes, Barney, as an old cockie, who has had much to do with WA wheatbelt soils, the worst an acidity wodgil which we found was a bit improved by bringing up just a bit of the yellowish subsoil. Then, when the wind blew a light covering from a patch next door from a less acidic pinky topsoil, it was Bob's your uncle.

Nothing about scientific reasoning here. Only thing needed was the cash to fix hundreds and thousands of acres. But it did prove one thing, that nature and possibly a generous God, has given us all the elements, but not as yet in the right proportion.

Further, so though the proof is there, God or nature has given us the wonderful gift of scientific thought and the universities thereof to complete the job.
Posted by bushbred, Wednesday, 29 November 2006 2:24:33 PM
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Very powerful article Barney... and fact that Australia was robbed in the world cup now takes on extra global significance.

Seriously though, laying out the challenge like this is the first step in to rising to it.
Posted by adam f, Wednesday, 29 November 2006 3:28:48 PM
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All good Mr Foran, our humungous challenge put in simple terms, and with no wimping out on unpopular issues. So how do we get there? A significant and increasing chunk of the community seems willing to learn, and segments of Business are even starting to come out of their coma, but we still have many intractable denial-ists (economic & other religious fundamentalists) in government, media, and business. What to do about those incapable of thinking outside of their tiny mental boxes?

How about a General Strike for Sustainability? Or at least a ‘science strike’, by professional scientists & technicians who agree with e.g. “current Govt & Opposition policy worsens our future prospects”.

Might be useful to demonstrate to all that the ‘sustainable growth’ claims of economic fundamentalists have no credible basis. (apologies if this political suggestion brings Howards budget hatchet men your way, but lets face it, RightThink has got it in for public science anyway)
Posted by Liam, Wednesday, 29 November 2006 8:23:07 PM
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Please look at this low cost alternative CO2 Sequestration system.

The integrated energy strategy offered by Terra Preta Soil technology may
provide the only path to sustain our agricultural and fossil fueled power
structure without climate degradation, other than nuclear power.

I feel we should push for this Terra Preta Soils CO2 sequestration strategy as not only a global warming remedy for the first world, but to solve fertilization and transport issues for the third world.
These are processes where you can have your Bio-fuels,Corbon Sequestration and fertility too.

Nature article: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v442/n7103/full/442624a.html

Here's the Cornell page for an over view:
http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehm...r_home.htm

This Earth Science Forum thread on these soil contains further links ( I post everything I find on Amazon Dark Soils, ADS here):
http://forums.hypography.com/earth-science/3451-terra-preta.html

There is an ecology going on in these soils that is not completely understood, and if replicated and applied at scale would have multiple benefits for farmers and environmentalist.

Terra Preta creates a terrestrial carbon reef at a microscopic level. These nanoscale structures provide safe haven to the microbes and fungus that facilitate fertile soil creation, while sequestering carbon for many hundred if not thousands of years. The combination of these two forms of sequestration would also increase the growth rate and natural sequestration effort of growing plants.

If pre Columbian Indians could produce these soils up to 6 feet deep over 20% of the Amazon basin it seems that our energy and agricultural industries could also product them at scale.

Harnessing the work of this vast number of microbes and fungi changes the whole equation of EROEI for food and Bio fuels. I see this as the only sustainable agricultural strategy if we no longer have cheap fossil fuels for fertilizer.

We need this super community of wee beasties to work in concert with us by populating them into their proper Soil horizon Carbon Condos.


I feel Terra Preta soil technology is the greatest of Ironies ,
That is: an invention of pre-Columbian American culture, destroyed by western disease, may well be the savior of industrial western society.

Erich J. Knight
Posted by Erich J. Knight, Thursday, 30 November 2006 7:46:11 AM
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