Hence the futility, or folly, or fraud of "plant a tree" carbon offsets.
However....people with an interest in insect farts may have a solution.
First up, via Scitech, September 20:
By
Decaying wood releases around 10.9 gigatons of carbon worldwide every year, according to a new study by an international team of scientists.
This is roughly equivalent to 115 percent of fossil fuel emissions.
Co-author of the study Professor David Lindenmayer from The Australian National University (ANU) says it’s the first time researchers have been able to quantify the contribution of deadwood to the global carbon cycle.
“Until now, little has been known about the role of dead trees,” Professor Lindenmayer said.
“We know living trees play a vital role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But up until now, we didn’t know what happens when those trees decompose. It turns out, it has a massive impact.”
Professor Lindenmayer said the decomposition is driven by natural processes including temperature and insects.
“The decomposition of wood and the recycling of those nutrients is a critically important process in forests,” he said.
The research showed decomposition can’t happen without wood-boring insects such as Longicorn Beetles.
“We knew insects such as termites and wood-boring Longicorn beetles can accelerate deadwood decomposition,” study co-author Dr. Marisa Stone from Griffith University said.
“But until now, we didn’t know how much they contribute to deadwood carbon release globally.
“Insects accounted for 29% of deadwood carbon release each year. However, their role was disproportionately greater within the tropics and had little effect in regions of low temperatures.”
The global research project encompassed 55 forest areas on six continents. The research team studied wood from more than 140 tree species to determine the influence of climate on the rate of decomposition....
....MUCH MORE
"The EU just approved mealworms for human consumption. Will Ÿnsect take the bait?"
No. No to worms.
Maybe termites, if the hydrogen biofactory experiments don't work out. Crunchy.
And yes to gratuitous umlauts....
