Is bamboo the answer to Nigeria’s climate woes?

Tuesday morning. The air is still, and the temperature is oppressively hot outside. A man flicks sweat off his brow and drapes a moist handkerchief over his bald pate. In the last couple of weeks, Nigeria’s heat waves have been on the increase, provoking discussion among researchers, experts, and climate advocates for sustainable ways to manage the adverse impact of climate change in Nigeria, including the world at large.

Heat waves are formed when fossil fuels are burned, which release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The heat trapped in the atmosphere thus raises the average temperature to extreme degrees.

In the wake of the recent heat waves spreading through the country, climate stakeholders are making the case for the bamboo plant as an aesthetic measure against the ravaging effects of further climate change. 

Bamboo is a versatile plant that has been utilized for myriad purposes in times past. Since antiquity, bamboo has served as a fundamental material for people worldwide. Earliest record of its usage dates to ancient China, where it was employed in crafting weapons, musical instruments, and writing materials. Additionally, it has held significance in traditional Chinese medicine for its medicinal properties.

Where bamboo was employed in weaving baskets as well as various household items in Japan, it found use in transportation and construction work in India.  

Following its heavy usage in south-east Asia, the bamboo expanded to other regions of the world, including Africa and South America, where it was widely adopted as a construction material and also as a food source. In the 16th century, European explorers introduced bamboo to Europe, loved for its decorative quality and novelty.

In Africa today, around 18 countries have natural bamboo trees. With about 1 million hectares of indigenous bamboo, Ethiopia is home to 67% of all African bamboo, making it the largest bamboo grower on the continent. From fencing and furniture to being used as shoots for animal fodder, bamboo has found wide application in everyday life. 

Its Role on the Climate

With an estimated 30 million hectares throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, bamboo can help significantly to combat climate change in many developing countries today, according to the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

The International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation, or INBAR, suggests many ways in which bamboo can sustain the climate. Some of them include:

Sequestering Carbon

Bamboo’s fast-growing and renewable nature enables it to sequester carbon in its biomass at rates comparable to, or even exceeding, many tree species. Moreover, the durable products crafted from bamboo have the potential to be carbon-negative, serving as locked-in carbon sinks themselves and promoting the expansion and enhanced management of bamboo forests.

A 2015 joint report extols bamboo as a promising alternative to hardwood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council because of its lower carbon footprint and limited ecological costs. For instance, a grove of bamboo releases 35% more oxygen than an equivalent forest of trees. As such, planting bamboo is a great way to reduce the carbon footprint and help fight global warming. The carbon stored in Chinese bamboo forests, the world’s largest, is projected to increase from 727 million tonnes in 2010 to 1018 million tonnes in 2050, as reforestation programmes expand.

Reducing Deforestation

Bamboo helps avoid fossil fuel use and reduce deforestation by offering an alternative, highly renewable source of biomass energy. It can provide a sustainable source of bioenergy for the plenty of people who rely on solid biomass for cooking, such as charcoal or briquettes. It can also be converted into gas or pellets to provide a source of electricity and heating.

Since it takes less time to grow and matures faster than most types of trees, bamboo can take pressure off other forest resources, reducing deforestation. Bamboo charcoal and gas boast a similar calorific value to commonly used forms of bioenergy: a community of 250 households requires only 180 kilograms of dry bamboo to generate sufficient electricity in six hours.

In Europe,, bamboo can be converted into pellets for electricity generation and heating, as a sustainable form of biomass and contribution to renewable energy targets. Because bamboo can be grown on marginal land, it does not need to compete with agriculturally productive areas.

Adaptation  

Bamboo’s swift establishment and growth enable frequent harvesting, empowering farmers to adjust their management and harvesting techniques to evolving growing conditions amidst climate change. Serving as a year-round source of income, bamboo can be transformed into a broad range of value-added products for sale.

Restoration

Similarly, bamboo plays a vital role in natural and agricultural ecosystems within and near the tropics. It proves invaluable in the restoration of degraded lands for various reasons: thriving on problematic soils and steep slopes unsuitable for other crops, serving as an effective windbreak to regulate water flows, and preventing erosion with its robust rhizomes and roots.

A case in point is Allahabad, India, where 80,000 hectares of degraded land were rehabilitated using bamboo as a pioneer species. Additionally, in 2018, INBAR released a report highlighting the benefits of bamboo for land restoration in eight countries, ranging from China to Ghana.

Concerning soil preservation, when hardwood forests are clear-cut and their stumps burned to create fertiliser and space for crops, erosion becomes unavoidable as topsoil and nutrients are washed away by rainfall. This erosion adversely impacts the lives of people and animals downstream by obstructing rivers and streams. However, bamboo roots remain intact after harvesting, preventing erosion and aiding in the retention of nutrients for subsequent crops.

Livelihoods

Bamboo is a versatile and rapidly renewable resource with a wide range of livelihood applications. Its economic significance is poised to grow rapidly, both locally and in international trade. This growth is spurred by several factors, including the increasing strain on other forest resources due to climate change, the imperative to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and endangered forest resources, and ongoing research uncovering new applications.

With an estimated 10,000 documented uses, bamboo is utilised in everything from furniture and paper to fabrics, processed flooring, and climate-smart housing. While bamboo alone cannot solve the world’s climate change challenges, when strategically utilised, it presents practical solutions for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Additionally, bamboo serves as a proven tool for combating rural poverty and restoring the natural resource base that underpins economic sustainability.

Beyond its ecological benefits, bamboo can offer economic opportunities for less developed countries where unemployment and civil unrest are rife. Bamboo production and the varied products made from the tree provide a source of income in such unstable economies.

Bamboo’s significance in achieving cultural harmony is equally notable. In a world riven by conflicts, the growing popularity of bamboo products presents an opportunity for many different cultures to resolve their differences through trade and cooperation.

With its plethora of benefits, can bamboo truly save the planet? There’s no definitive answer. However, the adoption of this remarkable plant into an array of products provides humanity with an opportunity to embrace modern comforts while minimizing our environmental footprint.