The Growing Role of Bamboo in Carbon Sequestration
Bamboo is crucial in ecosystems. It supports wildlife by sheltering and providing numerous species with sustenance through its shoots, stems and leaves. This plant’s extensive root system stabilizes the soil, mitigates heavy metal pollution and draws underground water near the surface.
Bamboo forests offer prey protection from predators with their dense canopy. These vegetated areas safeguard critters from the sun’s dangers by cooling the air using heat from the surroundings and providing shade.
With the looming threat of climate change, the world has had a renewed appreciation for bamboo’s effectiveness in biological carbon sequestration. Learn how this natural process neutralizes greenhouse gas emissions and the compelling arguments for bamboo as the right plant for the job.
What Is Carbon Sequestration?
Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing carbon — the most common building block of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) fueling climate change. Sequestering carbon can happen biologically, geologically and technologically. While each method is promising, the first one is the most practical.
Biological carbon sequestration is natural and operates without human intervention. This process relies on vegetation, bodies of water and the soil — called carbon sinks — to restore balance to the carbon cycle, where the element flows back and forth between Earth’s atmosphere and its organisms.
Significant events disrupt the carbon cycle. Imbalance occurs when a source releases carbon into the atmosphere faster than the planet’s organisms can absorb carbon dioxide.
Increased human activity has fueled climate change since the Industrial Revolution — a watershed in human civilization. This period saw coal become the preeminent energy source, incentivizing the exploitation of fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels has released dormant carbon reserves into the atmosphere, intensifying global warming and instigating various climatic changes at a fast rate worldwide.
Deforestation is another culprit. Agricultural expansion, urbanization, wildfires, mining and climate change have all contributed to deforestation.
Protecting the remaining lungs of the planet goes hand in hand with curbing greenhouse gas emissions to derail climate change. Leaving forested areas untouched and expanding their size allows biological carbon sequestration to work its magic.
4 Ways Bamboo Is Vital in Carbon Sequestration
All plants help sequester carbon. However, bamboo fits the bill better than most for four reasons.
- Considerable Carbon Storage Capacity
Bamboo is an efficient carbon sink. How it sequesters carbon depends on the species.
For example, the Dendrocalamus longispathus stores a higher percentage of carbon in its stems than in its above-ground plant components, such as the branch and foliage. In Bambusa tulda, the branch outperforms the stem percentage-wise.
Regardless of species, large quantities of this plant can divert tons of carbon dioxide and render them environmentally benign. Generally, a hectare of a bamboo forest can use 12 metric tons of CO2 yearly, translating to 26,000 pounds.
To put things into perspective, a house emits 10.97 metric tons of carbon dioxide yearly from all its energy consumption. Of this, around 7.27 metric tons are emitted due to electricity use alone. A bamboo forest’s tremendous carbon storage capacity should be more pronounced as homes become more sustainable and closer to net zero over time.
- Long-Lasting Building Material
Plants release the carbon they store when they decay or get burned. Only some plants can live forever under optimal conditions — bamboo isn’t one of them. This giant grass experiences only one growth spurt in its life. Eventually, its cane dies and sets free carbon once it microbially decomposes.
Fortunately, many bamboo species can get new leases on life as building materials. Harvesting mature poles keeps carbon locked while the rest of the plant lives.
Bamboo wood is suitable for carpentry and construction. While this material is susceptible to fungal and insect attacks, treating and drying it can boost its resilience and durability.
Southeast Asians have used bamboo to erect scaffolds and build home foundations, floors, walls and roofing membranes for centuries. Today, bamboo scaffolding is still widely used in Hong Kong. The Chinese have made tension cables for suspension bridges with this natural material. In traditional Japanese architecture, bamboo is a prominent supplemental and decorative element.
Bamboo is valuable in modern construction methods. It has incredible tensile strength and a better strength-to-weight ratio than steel. Several countries — including China, Columbia, Peru, Ecuador and India — have published building codes governing this material.
Materials engineers are also pushing the envelope. Researchers are experimenting with natural bamboo to create exceptional composites, expanding its use cases and making it more eco-friendly to boost its demand. The more durable and widespread this sustainable material becomes, the longer it can benefit the environment.
- Rapid Regeneration
Bamboo is considered the fastest-growing plant in the world and can grow multiple feet in one day. The remains of harvested poles don’t regrow. Instead, the plant focuses its energy on springing new shoots, which mature and are ready for harvesting in no time.
Such explosive growth makes bamboo plantations reliable carbon sinks. They can yield large quantities of forest products, replenish themselves quickly and make a dent in the accumulation of atmospheric carbon dioxide with no letup.
- Exceptional Adaptability
Bamboo loves tropical, subtropical and temperate climates. This plant thrives in sunny places with fertile, slightly acidic, moist and well-drained soil. Although it likes to drink, it requires less watering in areas that receive regular precipitation.
While bamboo prefers specific growing conditions, it’s also highly adaptive. Only Europe and Antarctica don’t have a native species. Nevertheless, bamboos can thrive outside their home regions. An excellent case in point is Phyllostachys edulis, which has demonstrated its carbon sequestration prowess in Italy.
Like other vegetation, bamboo can flourish unchecked and become an unwanted newcomer in some ecosystems. Having said that, there’s no denying that properly managed bamboo plantations and forests are a net positive for society.
A plant that’s tolerant of various conditions lends itself to agriculture. Managing woody bamboos for carbon farming adds a new dimension to the crop’s greenness. Land managers interested in regenerative farming can plant bamboo to remove as much carbon from the environment as possible and sell what they sequester in carbon trading platforms.
Carbon trading can be a lucrative business. More corporate decision-makers are willing to buy carbon credits from regenerative farmers and other sources to offset their carbon emissions. Sustainability will continue to dictate boardroom discussions, so this business practice should become more prevalent from here.
Bamboo — Sequestering Carbon in More Ways Than One
No single plant can solve every pressing environmental ill. However, bamboo is an anomaly, a one-of-a-kind carbon sink. With innovation and a little creativity, the world’s brightest scientists can fully understand and push the boundaries of its sustainability potential.
