Sequestering Carbon Dioxide

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Sequestering Carbon Dioxide

By Anthony J. Gerst

PlanetSave

March 14, 2007


I had to chuckle at Bush's attempt at a good will mission in South
America. With Chavez trailing him and no doubt drawing larger crowds,
all administrations worry about the people of South America gaining
control over their countries resources. While the prospect of
globalization moves ahead, the lofty ideals of globalization gave way
to old profit hegemony that has existed throughout time. While the
Bush administration pushes for promotion of alternate fuels across
the hemisphere, we do little to assist the already booming sugar cane
ethanol production of Brazil. If the issue of globalization was real,
the .54 cent a gallon import tariff on Brazilian ethanol would be
dropped, allowing them to play on an even field here in America. Of
course the competition would probably reduce the cost of fuel at the
pump!

Here is an interesting little quote for you from Sen. Richard Lugar,
"All possibilities for growth in biofuel production must be explored
to decrease our oil addiction." Also something to take note of is the
fact the Hillary Clinton when in Iowa took a tour of the Pioneer's
research facility, where she viewed a project designed to increase
the growth rate of corn. This is her comment in regards to the future
of biofuel in America. "This is the beginning of a revolution in our
country. Most of it in the history books will be traced back to Iowa,
because you were ahead of the curve."

Mercy, like white washing a picket fence this shinola gets old, at
least twice a month I manage to catch the farm reports on public
television on Sunday mornings. There is no way we as nation we can
supply our fuel needs for ethanol, based on corn. As by 2017 fuel
standards are to require 132.5 billion liters of alternative fuel, or
five times over the 2012 projections, which if memory serves me,
means an additional 10 million acres of corn planted a year from now
to 2012 just to maintain that increase. The ripple effects are
currently being felt and we need progressive expansion over the next
ten years to just catch up with the demand. Number one, we have a
narrow time frame of around ten years to get this issue of CO2
emissions under control. Number two, while only a small portion of
the corn crop is for food consumption, the yield demand will effect
production of other crops such as wheat and soybeans, disrupting the
food chain balance and consequently driving up the cost of living,
via expense from the livestock arena, to the bakery, to the grocery
store, and beyond our shores.

We have a historical crop in America, that meets so many of the needs
of our nation. While previewing a fact sheet on research material I
was unable to find my primary information. So before we get to the
fact sheet another little tidbit from memory. From corn we derive, I
believe, 60 gallons of ethanol per acre, from hemp we could obtain
600 gallons of methanol per acre. Hemp can grown on marginal land,
the yield per acre of hemp over corn is astronomical. Here is a
statement from The Jamaica Observer, 'Addressing climate change
through real results,' by Brenda LaGrange Johnson. "The sources will
be diverse. They will include ethanol form corn, plant waste, and
wood chips, as well as biodiesel, methanol, and other alternative
fuels." This quote is a paraphrase from the Bush administrations plan
to reduce America's need on foreign oil. Did you notice that methanol
was included. The best source for methanol from plants, hemp.

The oldest known records of hemp farming goes back 5000 years in
China, although it is believed to have started in ancient Egypt. From
records in 1916, the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted that by
the 1940's all paper would come from hemp and that no more trees
would need to be cut down. Government studies report that 1 acre of
hemp equals 4.1 acres of trees. Plans were in the works to implement
such programs.

According to the LA Times Aug. 12. 1981: It was legal to pay taxes
with hemp from 1631 until the early 1800's. From 'Hemp in Colonial
Virginia,' by: G.M. Herdon we find, "refusing to grow hemp in America
during the 17th and 18th century was against the law! You could be
jailed in Virginia for refusing to grow hemp from 1763 to 1769. From
Sherman Williams Paint Co. testimony before Congress against the 1937
Marijuana Tax Act we find this. "Quality paints and varnishes were
made from hemp seed oil until 1937. In 1935, 58,000 tons of hemp
seeds were used in America for paint products.

'The most profitable and Desirable Crop that Can be Grown,' an
article from the Feb. 1938 issue of Mechanical Engineering Magazine.
"If hemp was cultivated using 20th century technology, it would be
the single largest agricultural crop in the U.S." Back in 38 as well,
Popular Mechanics ran an article in Feb. claiming that hemp could for
the first time create a billion dollar crop in America, ladies and
gentlemen think of its potential now?

From the U.S. Government Archives we find Betsy Ross's flag was made
on hemp canvas, that the early drafts of the Constitution and the
Declaration of Independence were printed on hemp as well. How about
this one, Rembrants', Van Goughs', the first bibles, and for eons the
vast majority of sailing life relied upon the supplies of hemp
production around the globe. In the diaries of George Washington and
Thomas Jefferson we find many of the founding fathers grew hemp. In
fact Jefferson smuggled hemp seeds from China via France to America.
Ben Franklin had one of the first paper mills in America, it
processed hemp.

While I was aware of most of these stats years ago, here is one I
found of extreme interest that I never knew about. "Henry Ford's
first Model-T was built to run on Hemp gasoline and the car itself
was constructed from hemp. On his large estate, Ford was photographed
among his hemp fields. The car, 'grown from the soil,' had hemp
plastic panels whose impact strength was 10 times stronger than
steel; Popular Mechanics, 1941."

Think of the trees that could be saved if we once again were to
return to hemp production for our paper usage alone, not to mention
it is more productive for alternative fuel usage. Hemp has a higher
crop yield per acre than anything currently raised in America for
biofuel. Everything about the plant can be processed into useful
materials, isn't it about time we address the needs of the planet,
not the needs of special interest that are protected from this bio
diverse rich ecological bounty that can help us to save our global
climatic balance: One last little note, hemp is excellent at
sequestering carbon dioxide.


Copyright (c) 2007 Planetsave Network

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