3 ms·
The problem with wood is that if we all burnt it, there would be nowhere near enough, and our cities would be full of smoke and heavily polluted. Every househo
by jay_kyburz 4y ago
The problem with wood is that if we all burnt it, there would be nowhere near enough, and our cities would be full of smoke and heavily polluted.
Every household would need a lot land just to support tree regrowth. You have to be planting a lot of trees every year and letting them grow for a long time too.
I don't agree with simple-thoughts on hippies, but I understand why we don't all burn wood for energy.
- strken 4y agoYou get 80 tons of wood from an acre of land after 20 years of growth, or 4 tons a year. A household probably uses about 2 to 4 tons a year, less if they're in a warmer climate. That's half an acre to an acre per house. There are potential problems here: water table and soil depletion, pollution in built-up areas including acid rain, overuse of wood in crowded areas destroying habitats for animals, and probably more. Nevertheless, all these problems only apply in certain circumstances, and rural use of firewood for heating is likely not as big a problem as you think it is. Obviously in the city things are different, but neither the author nor letrowekwel were talking about cities.
- cudgy 4y ago> The problem with wood is that if we all burnt it, there would be nowhere near enough, and our cities would be full of smoke and heavily polluted. Isn’t this true of almost every resource, especially in modern societies? Think automobiles, potable water, air conditioners, heaters, food packaging, solvents, cleaners, pets, consumer waste, buildable land, lumber, drywall, pesticides, etc.