3 Reasons We Should Be Turning Towards Bamboo for a Healthier Environment
By: Jerren Gan
Tags: Bamboo, Climate Change, Alternative, Environment, Resources

3 Reasons We Should Be Turning Towards Bamboo for a Healthier Environment

How bamboo plantations might be helpful in our fight against climate change

Photo by Andrés Dallimonti on Unsplash

When we think about bamboo, most of us are reminded of cuddly pandas. After all, every panda eats an average of 12–34 kg of bamboo daily (according to WWF).

However, apart from being a food source for the pandas, bamboo plantations might actually be something that we could turn to in order to reduce our environmental effects.

With its versatility and the benefits it brings to the environment, here are some reasons why I believe that having bamboo plantations might be a solution that brings us closer to a carbon-neutral future:

1. Bamboo plantations serve as huge carbon sponges

Bamboo sequesters carbon at a really rapidly, absorbing it faster than most plants. In fact, in the right environment, some species of bamboo can sequester up to 300 tons of carbon per acre over a lifetime.

Furthermore, the bamboo’s structure allows it to contain the carbon for a longer period, making it a good sponge for locking up the excess carbon in the air.

2.Bamboo plantations can be grown quickly nearly everywhere

Apart from being a good carbon sponge, bamboos are actually the fastest growing plant in the world. In just one growing season, a bamboo plant can reach its full height and be ready to be harvested to be made into pulp. It only takes 4–8 years for bamboo to reach maturity and even after being cut, bamboo will sprout and grow again.

Furthermore, bamboo can thrive in many places, even on degraded land that is inhospitable for growing any other plants. By growing bamboo plantations on these land, we’ll be able to maximise the usage of the land.

Due to their expansive underground stems, bamboo is able to reduce soil erosion as well. As their stems are able to retain water into the dry season, the bamboo is the perfect plant to grow in order to revitalise land that is too degraded for other uses.

However, it is important to note that due to its hardiness, bamboo could actually become an invasive species. That’s why it is important to find out more and exercise care when growing bamboo to prevent damage to the native natural ecosystems.

3. Bamboo is extremely versatile and useful

Bamboo is a really handy material with a large variety of uses.

It has the compressive strength of concrete and the tensile strength of steel. This makes it extremely useful for construction, flooring, building bridges and furniture. Additionally, due to the speed they grow (and ability for it to regrow after harvest), a bamboo plantation can provide a large amount of resources that will be quickly replenished.

Furthermore, due to its strength and durability, bamboo can actually be used as a substitute for wood in many cases. Items like chopsticks, baskets, toothbrushes and even bicycle frames can all be made with bamboo. Surprisingly, bamboo fibers can even be used to make clothes.

With so many uses, the ability to be planted everywhere and the large amount of carbon it can sequester, bamboo is truly a wonderful plant we should rely on more. As we turn away from using wood from large woody trees, perhaps it’s time for us to begin using bamboo alternatives.