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Old technology revisited

July 24, 2020   ·   0 Comments

By Doug Skeates

Every proposed solution for dealing with today’s problems has pros and cons attached.

At one time communities utilized local water power for meeting their need for increased energy supply,  providing electricity for institutions.  The power structure decided to eliminate such dams and turbines, replacing them with centrally controlled electrical generation.  That potential source of power still exists but the cost for rehabilitating this form of renewable energy is considered by Hydro authorities to be prohibitive.   Free renewable energy remains, ignored in favour of burning costly fossil fuels drilled or mined from deposits deep in the ground.  

A similar problem exists with renewable solar energy.  It has been noted that solar panels, despite providing for new electricity, had a limited lifespan and would eventually require replacement.  Current panels are difficult to recycle and would most likely end up as pollution, hence a costly source of energy for future generations.  

Both solutions with their infrastructures present arguments against development of renewable sources, hence promoting increased reliance on burning of fossil fuels despite their contribution toward additional carbon emissions in the atmosphere, causing increased global warming and disastrous climate change.

Many scientists have noted the value of forests in extracting carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis stored as wood by trees.   It has been estimated that forests absorb over a quarter of the carbon emissions generated by human activities each year.  When stored in the form of wood, it remains in storage for the trees’ lifespan for up to 100 years, depending on species and ecosystems. 

A commonly used forestry statistic denotes that a managed mature forest produces an increment of about two chords of wood annually.  Wood being 50% carbon by weight, amounts to an estimated addition of one ton of stored carbon per acre per year.  Ministry of Natural Resources reported an estimated 87 billion trees in Ontario alone.  Increasing tree cover has been seen as the most cost effective solution to the global warming problem.

A second function of trees is water conservation.  Every tree intercepts precipitation, some of which follows branches to the trunk to ground level and its root system towards underground aquifers to be released to the water table, basic to the growth of plants and as a supply for wetlands, rivers and lakes year-round.   From a human perspective this is essential for agriculture as well as for a variety of needs.

The role of forests in providing energy for mankind has not been adequately assessed.  From an historical perspective this was the primary source of heating energy for early settlers.  Today it remains an important element in the lives of many living in rural settings.  It is also a major factor for conservation purposes.  Trees around dwellings help protect buildings from heat loss by strong winds.  We have much to learn from current efforts in China with development of agro forestry to protect crops and shelterbelts of trees to reduce the impact of dust storms in cities as well as restricting encroachment of the Gobi desert reducing agricultural potential.

Another major problem facing society is employment.  The shortage of skilled labour in cities is being addressed by technical education in colleges and universities.  At the grassroots level many manual working positions have been lost.  For example the abandonment of a 35 million annual tree planting program, largely responsible for rehabilitating agricultural lands in southern Ontario, as well the elimination of  many office jobs, has resulted in reduced employment positions.  Experience in many countries indicate that renewable energy creation provides significantly more employment opportunities than increased development of fossil fuel. 

Health care is one of the greatest costs to society.  Stress is a  significant cause of depression costing millions of dollars to the health care system.  Many health care specialists have shown that access to nature is valuable for reducing the healing time of patients after various illnesses.  A peaceful setting is a valuable asset for folk in retirement homes and for school students.

Nature has been shown to have potential to modify many of mankind’s most serious problems.  It is up to us to work with the natural world to achieve many of the goals so badly needed in society.

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