Weed causing climate change,, more so than Coal

[lyman]

Colorado's legal cannabis farms emit more carbon than its coal mines

Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article...#ixzz6oeFtFxT2


Legal cannabis production in Colorado emits more greenhouse gases than the state?s coal mining industry, researchers analysing the sector?s energy use have found.

The production and use of cannabis for medical or recreational reasons is now legal in several US states, which has led to a booming industry.



Hailey Summers and her colleagues at Colorado State University have quantified and analysed the greenhouse gas emissions produced by cannabis growers.

They found that emissions varied widely by state, from 2.3 to 5.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per kilogram of dried flower produced.

In Colorado, the emissions add up to around 2.6 megatonnes of CO2e, which is more than that from the state?s coal mining at 1.8 megatonnes of CO2e.

?The emissions that come from growing 1 ounce, depending on where it?s grown in the US, is about the same as burning 7 to 16 gallons of gasoline,? says Summers.

Most US cannabis is grown indoors, as some states don?t allow outdoor growing and the crops are also at risk of theft. This means that the majority of cannabis production emissions come from climate-control systems and high-powered lights that take the place of the sun.



Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article...#ixzz6oeG3JiKg

[Vern Humphrey]

Well, I'll be dipped in snuff.

[togor]

Hang on is that mining v. growing or does it include burning too?

Because weed at least pulls CO2 out of the air to make the plant, whereas burning coal releases many tons of fossilized carbon into the atmosphere as CO2.

Counting the CO2 of coal extraction but not its combustion would be as misleading as it gets.

[lyman]

so you did not read the article?

put the blunt down and give it a look again

[Roadkingtrax]

Grow it outside and shoot the thieves.

[togor]

so you did not read the article?

put the blunt down and give it a look again

Production of coal only, not it's combustion, so extremely misleading thread title.

Also, Colorado is not a big coal producing state, at less than 1/20th of Wyoming.

Moreover, Colorado is a big weed state.

So I really think the whole premise of the article is a misleading.

But if people want to talk about CO2 wasted, I'd say cryptocurrency mining is a great place to start.

[lyman]

no, it is what it is,

in Colorado, weed production is more harming to the environment than mining coal
just as it says,

- - - Updated - - -

Grow it outside and shoot the thieves.

can't,, the pesky due process thing,

[togor]

no, it is what it is,

in Colorado, weed production is more harming to the environment than mining coal
just as it says,

Well glad you're seeing excess CO2 as a problem, and I'm no fan of Big Weed,

so I'm not going to quibble!

[blackhawknj]

Then there's the enormous demands MJ production makes on inadequate water supplies.

[lyman]

Well glad you're seeing excess CO2 as a problem, and I'm no fan of Big Weed,

so I'm not going to quibble!

just pointed out the weed was worse than coal

the climate changes every day

[Major Tom]

Togor obviously thinks he can live a wonderful life without coal!

[togor]

just pointed out the weed was worse than coal

the climate changes every day

The weather changes every day. The climate in which this civilization developed was overall very stable.

I don't smoke but I'm guessing the buzz from smoking coal is considerably less mellow than the one from weed.

[lyman]

still is stable,

[Vern Humphrey]

Hmmm . . . what about the Little Ice Age, from around 1317 till 1800?

The Little Ice Age, from about 1317-1800, began with catastrophic floods, crop failure, and domestic animal deaths (which brought on economic depression), harsh winters—and starvation. Epidemics raged unchecked, and millions died in the bubonic plague outbreak in 1348-1350.

[lyman]

another article,

might harsh the buzz of the climate change true believers

https://earther.gizmodo.com/indoor-weed-farms-are-hotboxing-the-planet-1846429482

As more states legalize weed, commercial production of it is increasing. These growing operations may not just be getting customers high—they may be getting the planet’s temperature higher, too.

A new study published in Nature Sustainability on Monday aims to quantify the climate impact of indoor cannabis cultivation across the country. The authors, who are researchers at Colorado State University, wanted to track how greenhouse gas-intensive these operations would be if they were set up anywhere in the country.