Reflecting on “Green grabs and biochar: revaluing African soils and farming in the new carbon economy,” (Melissa Leach, 2012) I felt that the authors presented a fairly idealistic view of a very complex situation. Much of the paper seems to focus on creating some sort of sustainable, non-capitalist resource-based biochar production facilities within a capitalist society. The authors argue that increased production of biochar as a means for CO2 reduction and alternative fertilizers must not “lock into routes, styles and evaluations of nature that favor market projects at the expense of local livelihoods and landscapes.” (Melissa Leach, 2012) . While I agree with many of the points made in this article, there were really no solutions suggested, just statements about what should not happen. While all three authors seem to be quite knowledgeable from their own particular perspectives, they are all social anthropologists, and I think it would’ve been helpful in this article to incorporate other viewpoints, which may have been helpful in suggesting ways in which their ideals could actually be enacted. A large part of this puzzle seems to be economic incentives. Biochar has been used for thousands of years, but has only become part of the conversation for carbon sequestration fairly recently, due to the newly discovered economic potential. In this respect, I think it would have been helpful to get the perspective of an economist on how proper economic incentives could be constructed to achieve the goal that is being advocated in this article. I don’t think that a capitalist system is perfect, far from it in fact. However, unless your plan is to completely change the way that economies operate globally, (which probably should happen but that’s another blog,) the solution to the biochar industry not being monopolized by a group of wealthy investors just might be proper economic incentives coupled with sound legal framework. This article is interesting in that it presents some very strong statements advocating biochar, and at the same time seems to be quite unsupportive of the advancement in technology. Slightly beside the point, but something I couldn’t help but note was that they used many words you will not find in a dictionary, such as ‘commensuralised’, ‘financialisation’, and ‘businessification’. At what level of academia does one have to reach before one can legitimately create words like this?
The potential for biochar, if implemented and managed sustainably within our ecological and financial systems, could have a significant positive impact on the environment and the well-being and quality of life for many people. The possibility of long-term carbon sinks that could be around for hundreds to even thousands of years, provides a real possibility that we have the tools at our fingertips to impact the environment positively. (Cheng, 2008) . While the possibility of large scale biochar development in Africa could include increased cases of ‘land grabbing’ (African Biodiversity Network, Biofuelwatch and the Gaia Foundation, 2014) it seems as if the authors are advocating that no actions should be taken to promote and produce this potentially amazing CO2 sequestering material until we have a framework that fully takes into account indigenous farmers histories, values, and practices. While I in no way argue that the histories, values, and practices are an not important or relevant, I do feel that if Earth’s climate continues to change drastically and if there is not swift action taken to mitigate this, these indigenous people may not even have a suitable living environment to honor their histories and values. However, indigenous farmers changing their lives and spaces pale in comparison to what industrialized first world countries such as America ultimately need to do. This newfound method for sequestering CO2 cannot merely be an offset to allow industrialized nations to continue emitting CO2 at the current rate. If indigenous farmers are asked to change their lives in a way that may better them financially, but would also benefit everyone on the planet, then industrialized first world countries should first take the lead in carbon sequestering and reduction in carbon emissions. We are all after all residents of this ship we call Earth.
Works Cited
African Biodiversity Network, Biofuelwatch and the Gaia Foundation. (2014, October 30). Biochar land grabbing: the impacts on Africa. Retrieved from African Biodiversity Network: http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/
Cheng. (2008). Natural oxidation of black carbon in soils:. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 72.
Melissa Leach, J. F. (2012). “Green grabs and biochar: revaluing African soils and farming in the new carbon economy,”. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 303.