By now we’ve all come across the term “carbon footprint” and that it refers to our greenhouse gas emissions. But do you know why it is so important to reduce it?
Why is it important to reduce our carbon footprint?
1. It can mitigate the effect of global climate change 2. It helps improve public health 3. It can boost the global economy 4. It helps maintain biodiversity
Did you know that Industrial hemp has been scientifically proven to absorb more CO2 per hectare than any other plant or commercial crop and is therefore the ideal carbon sink? A carbon sink is anything that absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases. Carbon sinks are very important in keeping the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at manageable levels.
Not only that, but hemp can be grown on widespread and nutrient poor soils, with very small amounts of water and little to no fertilisers – which is why it is often referred to as a weed. It can be grown on existing agricultural land (unlike most forestry projects) and can be included as part of a farm's crop rotation with positive effects on overall yields of follow-on crops.
If that wasn’t enough, hemp can grow in diverse soil types and conditions without the need for chemical inputs and improves soil structure while also protecting and binding soil. It can add nutrients to soil by tapping into sub-soil nutrients other plants cannot access and cleans toxins from the ground by a process called phytoremediation.
Historical fact: It was used in Russia to remove radioactive elements following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Hemp is also a zero-waste crop, when grown in countries that allow the use of all the parts of the plant and that have all of the processing equipment required to transform the various outputs
Can hemp grown in large scale help mitigate the effect of global climate change? Yes Does hemp help improve public health? Sure does Can it boost the global economy? Absolutely it can Does it help maintain biodiversity? Yes, yes and yes.
Find out more about the numerous benefits of hemp here.
