by The conversation around carbon emissions is often marked by false predictions and emotionalism. Despite this, the policies and taxes stemming from these discussions are increasingly burdening our three essential industries: energy, agriculture, and transportation.
Fundamental realities are being laid by the wayside, and in today’s post, I want to take a moment to refocus on some of these fundamental realities.
My goal here is to clarify three terms frequently used to promote climate alarmism: carbon, methane, and emissions. Then, I’ll introduce two critical elements that are often left out of the conversation: sequestration and methanotrophs.
By the end, I will combing all five to give you a complete look at the carbon cycle.
Upcoming are five basic and universally accepted facts, but I do want it to be understood that I am coming at you from a distinctly Christian worldview. You are free to use the comment section to bring opinions to the contrary, but it is my firm belief that acknowledging Christ as creator is the key to maintaining clarity in a time when much of the population is exchanging truth for a lie.
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3 Terms in the Climate Crises Debate
Let’s start by defining three frequently used terms within the climate-crisis debate: carbon, methane, and emissions.
1. Carbon
Carbon is not the villain it’s often made out to be. According to World Book, carbon is one of the most familiar and important elements, making up the living tissue of all plants and animals. The form of carbon discussed in the news is primarily atmospheric carbon, also known as carbon dioxide or atmospheric CO2. Humans and animals exhale CO2, and it also enters the atmosphere when substances containing carbon, like wood, coal, or gasoline, are burned.
2. Methane
Methane (CH4) is a natural gas that forms when plants decompose in environments with little or no oxygen. This is why cows, when digesting plants in their rumen, belch methane. Humans also emit methane, though not at the same rate as a 2,000-pound cow.
3. Emissions
Emissions refer to the release of substances into the environment. When a train burns coal, the smoke from the smokestack is a carbon emission. When your car burns gasoline, the exhaust is a carbon emission. The power grid, when it powers your home or charges your electric car, burns fossil fuels, and that too results in carbon emissions. When humans and animals exhale, the gas released is a carbon emission.
Considering the millions of pounds of CO2 and methane emissions entering the atmosphere daily, it’s easy to paint a bleak picture. These compounds can indeed increase atmospheric temperature under certain conditions, though research within the climate conversation on this topic is conflicting.
Carbon Sequestration & Methanotrophs
Here’s where we introduce two critical aspects that the climate change movement often overlooks: carbon sequestration and methanotrophs.
1. Carbon Sequestration
Carbon sequestration is the process of removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Plants, much like humans rely on oxygen, depend on CO2 for survival. As grass sprouts from the ground or trees put out leaves, they’re pulling carbon out of the atmosphere. When pasture and cattle are managed mindfully, and root systems deepen, they pull even more carbon from the air. Grasslands, forests, wetlands, and oceans are the only natural means by which CO2 can be removed from the atmosphere.
2. Methanotrophs
Methanotrophs are microscopic bacteria that consume methane. These bacteria live in the soil, pulling methane out of the atmosphere. Fascinatingly, scientists have recently discovered methanotrophs in tree bark, prompting further research into where else these bacteria might exist and help reduce methane levels.
Population control as a solution?
You may have heard arguments suggesting that overpopulation creates a massive carbon footprint, implying that humans are responsible for destroying the Earth and that population control is the solution. However, even the UN acknowledges that man-made environments, such as industrial areas and urban centers, only occupy around 1 to 3 percent of the Earth’s total land surface. In contrast, 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered in vegetation. When we reject the notion that humanity is the problem, the picture becomes much more hopeful.
Where legitimate concerns exist over excess emissions, whether methane or CO2, humans have the capacity to steward natural resources in ways that exponentially increase the removal of these gases from the atmosphere.
My Experience with Regenerative Agriculture
I speak from firsthand experience. I manage 30 acres of grassland in Northeast Texas using a method called regenerative agriculture. I was introduced to this farming method and its benefits four years ago. It offered me the chance to improve my land while growing healthy food for my local community. With no prior farming background and limited resources, I started with a few sheep and some electric fencing.
Four years later, my land boasts 200 to 300 percent more vegetation than neighboring pastures. This vegetation pulls carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, while the soil life pulls methane out. This productivity wouldn’t be possible without the animals on the land. The sheep and cows graze 24/7, fertilizing the pasture with their manure, which naturally contains nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These nutrients accelerate plant growth and support the methanotrophs that consume methane.
I use electric fencing to rotate my livestock across the pasture, allowing each section to rest and regrow. This rest period not only promotes healthier grass but also enhances carbon sequestration and methane reduction. Some of the grasses on my pasture have root systems that are two to three times deeper than the grass growing above ground.
Ask yourself:
With what you now know of the carbon cycle: is it wise to tax cattle or make it more expensive for farmers to raise them? Will covering 10 million acres in solar panels really help with carbon sequestration? Is the push to end fossil fuels driving us toward an energy crisis?
These are important questions to consider. I hope this discussion helps shed light on the broader picture and encourages thoughtful dialogue on the best ways to steward our planet.
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Check out my video on “Micro Ranching for Profit,” a documentary I made for the National Grazing Lands Coalition:
“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Colossians 1:12-17
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