Carbon dioxide, deciding for our future

1. FG Carbon dioxide, deciding for our future Folke Günther Holon Ecosystem Consultants Lund Sweden folke@holon.se

2. FG FG FG FG The climate situation of today is far from satisfying • Increasing frequency of abnormal weather situations • Destabilised El Niño – Monsoon cycles • Increasing risk of non-linear climate changes, ’tipping points’ folke@holon.se

3. FG FG FG FG A simple overwiev of some of the basic stuff • On different types of systems • On non-linear behaviour of complex systems • On carbon chemistry (while you are awake) folke@holon.se

4. FG FG After that:We move on to the sexier parts of the story • An easy way to get rid of carbon dioxide • How this could be done easy • How to promote massive sequestration folke@holon.se

5. FG A few words on systems theory 1 folke@holon.se

6. FG FG All systems are not the same • Simple systems folke@holon.se

7. FG FG FG FG FG FG FG Characteristics of simple systems • Can be understod from knowledge of their parts • Show predictable behaviour such as: • Trajectories • Calculability • Back-tracking • Rather few components make them intuitively understandable folke@holon.se

8. FG All systems are not of the same type • Simple systems • Complicated systems folke@holon.se

9. FG Complcated systems folke@holon.se

10. FG FG FG FG FG FG FG Complicated systems are of the same type as simple systems • Can be understod from knowledge of their parts • Therfore: Show predictable behaviour such as: • Trajectories • Calculability • Back-tracking • But: Too many components make an intuitive understanding impossible folke@holon.se

11. FG Complex systems folke@holon.se

12. FG FG FG FG FG FG FG Characteristics of complex system • Can not be understod from (even total) knowledge of their parts • Therfore: Show unpredictable,nonlinear behaviour such as: • Catastrophes • Bifurcations • Emergence • Non-linear behaviour is typical for complex systems Bifurcation (tipping) point The system contains more than can be calculated from knowledge of its parts folke@holon.se

13. FG FG FG FG Examples of complex systems folke@holon.se

14. FG Examples of non-linear behaviour in complex systems 2 folke@holon.se

15. FG Bifurcations (Tipping points): Abrupt changes in complex systems Present Past Future 32 30 28 26 24 22 20 18 16 14 folke@holon.se

16. FG FG FG FG FG FG Examples of tipping points in the global system • The melting of the North polar cap • Cause: Decrease of the ice-cap decrease albedo • more melting • further albedo decrease • sweet water release • Possible result: sweet water from the polar cap closes NADW • The disruption of the Gulf Stream • Cause: Sweet-water prevents sinking of cold,salt water – no NADW • Ice-age in Northern Europe and North America • cooling (The change to Younger Dryas evolved in about 10 years, lasted 1300 years) folke@holon.se

17. FG FG The Younger Dryas The change to cold conditions, during which the surface temperature of the Northern Hemisphere dropped precipitously (nearly 15ºC in Greenland) in a series of abrupt, decade-scale jumps, due to the loss of the NADW. This abrupt climate change is known as the "Younger Dryas" event, lasting about 1,300 years. folke@holon.se

18. FG FG FG FG FG Examples of non-linear behaviour of the global system • Methane emissions from the melting tundra • Multiplied greenhouse effect • heating • More melting, more methane  • The calving of the Ross-ice • increasing sea level  decreased brake • 7 m sea level increase within a 20 year period folke@holon.se

19. FG On carbon chemistry 3 folke@holon.se

20. FG Carbon has three pricipal chemical constellations • The reduced form These compounds are easily oxidized into carbon dioxide folke@holon.se

21. FG FG Carbon has three pricipal chemical constellations • The reduced form • The neutral form Diamond These compounds are stable under normal conditions, and not easily oxidized into carbon dioxide folke@holon.se

22. FG FG Carbon has three pricipal chemical constellations • The neutral form Anthracite, coal These compounds are stable under normal conditions, and not easily oxidized into carbon dioxide folke@holon.se

23. FG Coal formation folke@holon.se

24. FG Carbon has three pricipal chemical constellations • The neutral form Charcoal, biochar /C(H2O)/n biomass Oxidation resistace time: 50,000 years (Ogawa) Produced during pyrolysis heating of biomass with reduced oxygen access These compounds are stable under normal conditions, and not easily oxidized into carbon dioxide folke@holon.se

25. FG Carbon has three pricipal chemical constellations • The neutral form /C(H2O)/n biomass Charcoal, biochar Oxidation resistace time: 50,000 years (Ogawa) These compounds are stable under normal conditions, and not easily oxidized into carbon dioxide folke@holon.se

26. FG Carbon has three pricipal chemial constellations Sunlight • The oxidized form Carbon dioxide • Heat reflecting • = Greenhouse gas • 475 Gt (4.7511 tonnes) extra produced during industrialisation This compound is stableunder normal conditions, and need an energy input to be converted into other compounds Heat folke@holon.se

27. FG An easy way to catch and get rid of carbon dioxide 4 folke@holon.se

28. FG FG FG FG Statement:There is already too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere You can not solve that problem by releasing less every year You have to remove some of the carbon dioxide How? folke@holon.se

29. FG When plants add solar energy to the carbon dioxide molecules, carbon dioxide is converted into biomass By that, carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere.The process is called carbon sequestration /C(H2O)/n /C(H2O)/n /C(H2O)/n /C(H2O)/n /C(H2O)/n /C(H2O)/n folke@holon.se

30. FG However… After a century, or less, the biomass decomposes and releases the carbon dioxide again It is like putting dirt under the carpet. It will reveal… /C(H2O)/n /C(H2O)/n /C(H2O)/n /C(H2O)/n /C(H2O)/n /C(H2O)/n folke@holon.se

31. FG But… As carbon as charcoal is extremely stable If you bury it in the soil, it stays there for thousands of years (2 000 –> 50 000 +) folke@holon.se

32. FG So, if you convert biomass into charcoal /C(H2O)/n /C(H2O)/n /C(H2O)/n /C(H2O)/n folke@holon.se

33. ..and bury it into the soil.. /C(H2O)/n folke@holon.se

34. FG Then, you have created a pathway for carbon dioxide into a semi-permanent storage folke@holon.se

35. FG The problem summarized 5 folke@holon.se

36. FG 32 30 28 26 24 22 20 18 16 14 avg. global temp Excess CO2 in atmosphere 508 Gt 483 Gt 501 Gt 475 Gt 496 Gt 505 Gt 490 Gt After 2008: Constantly diminishing emissions: 5 Gt 4 Gt 3 Gt 6 Gt 8 Gt 7 Gt 475 Gt (CH2)n folke@holon.se

37. FG folke@holon.se

38. FG Just successive decrease of the emissions, however successful might lead to a cata-stro-phe folke@holon.se

39. Successive decrease PLUS sequstration Might solve the pro-blem folke@holon.se

40. FG Charcoal in the soil is certainly not inactive folke@holon.se

41. FG FG Terra Preta: A 2000 Year Old Soil Experiment • Man-Made Soil Plots • Average size 20 ha • Carbon dated at 800 B.C-500 A.D • High Carbon Content (4-20%, typically 9%) • Terra preta yields as much as three-fold the surrounding infertile soils. • Danny Day, Eprida (Steiner, 2002) folke@holon.se

42. FG FG …about three times crop yield Oxisol(normal rain forest soil) Terra Preta(anthrosol: charcoal enriched oxisol) folke@holon.se

43. FG Charcoal works as an adsorption lattice for micro-organsism and nutrient particles folke@holon.se

44. FG folke@holon.se

45. FG Micro-organisms inside the cavities of a charcoal particle folke@holon.se

46. 1 gramme of charcoal might have an inner area of about 400 sq. meters folke@holon.se

47. Ten grammes of charcoal has a surface about the size of a football pitch

48. Charcoal is sought out by soil micro-organism FG Charcoal addition to the soil provides nutrient and water storage for mycorrhizal fungi Their hyphae invade charcoal pores and support spore reproduction Ogawa Kansai Environmental Fungi on New Char Fungi on 100 Yr Old Char folke@holon.se

49. FG The plants seek contact with microorganisms Charcoal after one year of application Richard Haard, February 12, 2007 folke@holon.se

50. FG The production of charcoal gives by-products useful for industry and homes folke@holon.se