←back to thread

Dead trees keep surprisingly large amounts of carbon out of atmosphere

(phys.org)
91 points PaulHoule | 2 comments | 14 Apr 25 14:23 UTC | HN request time: 0.536s | source
Show context
hermitShell ◴[14 Apr 25 16:15 UTC] No.43682906[source]▶
In N Stephensons “Anathem” there are “fuel trees” and a couple paragraphs describing how they are ‘cooked’ for hydrocarbon fuels. I like trees and his vision of a future where genetically modified trees are the best way to collect solar energy and then harvest and store it. Solar panels are cool but one of the themes of the book is civilization over many millennia, and I can see how he arrived at his conclusion that most tech doesn’t work as well as trees.
replies(3): >>43683150 #>>43683367 #>>43690467 #
1. ianburrell ◴[14 Apr 25 16:58 UTC] No.43683367[source]▶
There aren't enough trees to support industrial civilization. Britain was burning coal before the Industrial Revolution and would have quickly exhausted all land for wood. Wood is useful for other things, buildings and paper would compete with fuel. It is the same problem with turning food crops into fuel.

Solar doesn't require high tech. We use solar panels cause we are good at making circuits. But solar thermal with mirrors should work for lower technology. They wouldn't have the chips for controlling mirrors, but could have some system of central control or just have people move them.

replies(1): >>43686812 #
2. hermitShell ◴[14 Apr 25 22:04 UTC] No.43686812[source]▶
There aren’t enough trees in Britain, that’s for sure! In places with lots of trees and not a lot of people, wildfires burn off a considerable amount of energy stored in dead wood. Canada, for example.