It is known that barbecues pollute the environment, especially that they release enormous amounts of CO2 into the air, let alone their negative health effects. But some scientists are seeing how barbecues could help fight climate change.
Durwood Zaelke, a leading expert on rapid responses to global warming, has an idea of barbecues that remove CO2 from the air. He says that they can play a role in fighting climate change. His idea is based on a stove designed for use in the developing world by Rob Flanagan. The stove creates heat by turning wood or other biomass into charcoal, a process that releases combustible gases.
Once the cooking is over, most of the carbon from the fuel remains in the stove in the form of charcoal. This can then be mixed in with soil, a process that sequesters the carbon for thousands of years and boosts crop productivity.
But whatever we do with non-CO2 gases, Zaelke says, we also urgently need not just to reduce carbon dioxide, but to get to a point as soon as possible where the world becomes carbon negative, with humans sequestering more CO2 than we release. “That might sound crazy,” he says, “but we could do it”.
So, imagine barbecues fighting climate change. It is all about sucking CO2 out of the air, and for sure they are many other techniques to do that.
Backyard carbon sequestration, Zaelke says with a smile, “would help make sure my environmental friends don’t criticise me when I’m grilling my steak”.
For the time being, if you wanted to fight climate change in your daily lives, try using eco-friendly grills. You can still enjoy your BBQ while saving the environment at the same time.
Here are some eco-friendly grills we chose for you: