3 ms·

If farming can be done more mechanically than chemically, it'll be better for the environment in the long run. We'll need less pesticides, and have less top-soi

by shanev 8y ago

If farming can be done more mechanically than chemically, it'll be better for the environment in the long run. We'll need less pesticides, and have less top-soil erosion.

randomdata 8y ago
The funny part is that mechanically is how it used to be done. A significant change from the shift towards chemicals was the enabling of processes like no-till and cover crops that help with soil erosion and other ecological factors.
- Nasrudith 8y ago
  I think it is important to remember that environmentalism is always loaded with trade-offs and there are many aspects to it as well. It brings to mind vicious yet silly lawsuits between plastic and wooden pallet makers over which was more environmentally friendly given variables like weight, fuel consumption, ecosystem impact, and biodegradability. If you really want to be a smartass you can say with one hundred percent truth that styrofoam and plastic are better for carbon long-term compared to paper and cardboard which break down over time and release it into the atmosphere. (Ignoring the relative accounting of the manufacturing processes themselves for now.)
  - shanev 8y ago
    Aren’t paper and cardboard biodegradable compared to styrofoam and plastic? The atmosphere and soil know how to handle it.
    - Nasrudith 8y ago
      Yeah the point was that biodegradability also eventually releases it to the atmosphere. Nonbiodegradability technically sequesters it until burnt but causes its own problems given things like microplastics.
jsilence 8y ago
pretty sure that LCA and sustainability analysis might not mandatorily (word?) support this. Mechanical processing needs a lot more passages and there is also a lot more soil resistance that has to be taken into account energy wise. If fossil fuels are used, climate change is a factor. mechanical processing also disturbs the soil, possibly destroying its natural balance. one really has to differentiate based on which chemical for which purpose shall be replaced by a mechanical method.

by shanev 8y ago

If farming can be done more mechanically than chemically, it'll be better for the environment in the long run. We'll need less pesticides, and have less top-soil erosion.

randomdata 8y ago

The funny part is that mechanically is how it used to be done. A significant change from the shift towards chemicals was the enabling of processes like no-till and cover crops that help with soil erosion and other ecological factors.

Nasrudith 8y ago
I think it is important to remember that environmentalism is always loaded with trade-offs and there are many aspects to it as well. It brings to mind vicious yet silly lawsuits between plastic and wooden pallet makers over which was more environmentally friendly given variables like weight, fuel consumption, ecosystem impact, and biodegradability. If you really want to be a smartass you can say with one hundred percent truth that styrofoam and plastic are better for carbon long-term compared to paper and cardboard which break down over time and release it into the atmosphere. (Ignoring the relative accounting of the manufacturing processes themselves for now.)
- shanev 8y ago
  Aren’t paper and cardboard biodegradable compared to styrofoam and plastic? The atmosphere and soil know how to handle it.
  - Nasrudith 8y ago
    Yeah the point was that biodegradability also eventually releases it to the atmosphere. Nonbiodegradability technically sequesters it until burnt but causes its own problems given things like microplastics.

jsilence 8y ago

pretty sure that LCA and sustainability analysis might not mandatorily (word?) support this. Mechanical processing needs a lot more passages and there is also a lot more soil resistance that has to be taken into account energy wise. If fossil fuels are used, climate change is a factor. mechanical processing also disturbs the soil, possibly destroying its natural balance. one really has to differentiate based on which chemical for which purpose shall be replaced by a mechanical method.