Carbon is not the enemy of the Earth, the world needs to reconsider it

In many people's minds and imagination, carbon is considered a toxic waste. In a metaphorical way, it is like sludge, black and disgusting, leaking from non-chemical barrels and flowing into the atmosphere.

With the interest of the internet community, and in the hot scientific research on climate change, the sentence is not explained in detail to the public. It is not difficult to explain why carbon today is viewed as evil by people.

That is the main problem that William McDonough, an architect and designer works positively for green architecture, discusses in a post in the Nature magazine: "Carbon is not an enemy."

In the article, McDonough points out that carbon is not a chemical element for us to say bad. On the contrary, it is an essential part of life on Earth: in photosynthesis, soil carbon, "super carbon", molecules built up on life on the planet.

When it comes to carbon, don't just imagine images like this.

"Instead of declaring war on carbon emissions, we can work with carbon in all its physical forms," McDonough writes. He wants people to have a more positive view of carbon.

Since then, instead of thinking carbon is only harmful and we should minimize greenhouse gas emissions, why can't people think that we will make the planet better, also in the presence of carbon. For example, soil carbon is an essential part of plant life.

"Carbon can be used safely, efficiently and profitably," McDonough said. To make this distinction, he wanted to use some new terms to talk about carbon including: live carbon, durable carbon and unstable carbon.

According to McDnough, the old generic call of carbon is too difficult to understand. It confuses terms like "carbon-negative" (carbon negative or carbon negative) and "carbon-positive" (carbon positive or positive carbon). Both are given with the meaning of removing carbon from the atmosphere but in different contexts.

Carbon can be used safely, efficiently and beneficially.

Bhutan, a small Himalayan country, for example, claims to be a carbon-negative country . The context is that the country has a huge forest area but a small population, which makes carbon emissions that forests absorb even greater than the carbon that the entire country emits into the atmosphere.

On the contrary, in the context of some businesses, they are proud that they are absorbing carbon by growing plants or producing renewable energy more than they need. At the moment, businesses claim to be carbon-positive.

Finally, it is impossible to know whether carbon-negative or carbon-positive, how proud and encouraging is it?

Just the enemy, carbon is nourishing life on the planet.

In the US, there is an overlap of meaning on carbon that causes a lot of conflicts. Carbon dioxide gas (CO ₂ ): for the United States Department of Land Administration (BLM), a commodity , for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a contaminant . As for the Chicago Climate Exchange (a greenhouse gas trading system), CO2 is a financial tool .

Naturally, carbon is an important key to the soil's "health" . Carbon in the soil is a factor that controls plant growth. Meanwhile, soil carbon is one end of the bridge between atmospheric carbon, water environment and soil microbes. These bacteria are themselves a bridge between biologically active soil and plant species.

This building uses sustainable carbon designs.

"Let's keep the carbon bridges clear, both rural and urban," McDonough wrote. " Use carbon from the air as a fuel for biological processes, enriching carbon in the soil and reversing climate change.

Apply regenerative urban and agricultural farming designs, to increase photosynthesis, enhance biological activity, build urban food systems and promote a closed loop of nutrient carbon.

Turn waste water treatment plants into fertilizer factories. Realize that carbon is an asset and recognizes the carbon cycle that gives life as a model for human designs. "

In McDonough's article, positive-carbon is not simply a statement of the process of limiting or increasing the amount of carbon. It is a process in which atmospheric carbon, which brings us to many consequences of climate change, translates into other useful forms, such as enhancing nutrients for the soil or making materials for production. plastic.

It can be seen that through McDonough's carbon perspective there is no obvious good and bad side. According to him, what should be done is to make what people create more harmonious with nature's carbon cycle. If we do so, we will provide a model that inspires everyone to take action to prevent climate change. It all starts with changing the way we talk about carbon.