{"id":2837,"date":"2021-04-22T09:17:43","date_gmt":"2021-04-21T23:17:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/celebrating-earth-day-by-cultivating-climate-destroying-cannabis-4\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T12:45:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T01:45:26","slug":"celebrating-earth-day-by-cultivating-climate-destroying-cannabis-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/celebrating-earth-day-by-cultivating-climate-destroying-cannabis-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Earth Day by\u2026Cultivating Climate Destroying Cannabis??"},"content":{"rendered":"

Insatiable Demand for Cannabis Has Created a Massive Carbon Footprint \u2013 And Other Environmental Harms!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Colorado State University researchers provide the most detailed accounting to date of the industry\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions. <\/span>   <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

By COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY MARCH 8, 2021<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 \"USACannabisGreenHouseMap2021\"<\/span><\/p>\n

The life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from indoor cannabis cultivation modeled across the U.S. Credit: Hailey Summers\/Colorado State University<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that the United States\u2019 $13 billion cannabis industry is big business. Less obvious to many is the environmental toll this booming business is taking, in the form of greenhouse gas emissions from commercial, mostly indoor production.<\/span><\/p>\n

A new study by Colorado State University researchers provides the most detailed accounting to date of the industry\u2019s carbon footprint, a sum around which there is only limited understanding. What is clear, though, is that consumer demand for cannabis is insatiable and shows no signs of stopping as more states sign on to legalization.<\/span><\/p>\n

The study, published in Nature Sustainability,<\/em> was led by graduate student Hailey Summers, whose advisor, Jason Quinn, is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Summers, Quinn and Evan Sproul, a research scientist in mechanical engineering, performed a life-cycle assessment of indoor cannabis operations across the U.S., analyzing the energy and materials required to grow the product, and tallying corresponding greenhouse gas emissions.<\/span><\/p>\n

They found that greenhouse gas emissions from cannabis production are largely attributed to electricity production and natural gas consumption from indoor environmental controls, high-intensity grow lights, and supplies of carbon dioxide for accelerated plant growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew the emissions were going to be large, but because they hadn\u2019t been fully quantified previously, we identified this as a big research opportunity space,\u201d Summers said. \u201cWe just wanted to run with it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The CSU group\u2019s efforts update previous work by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers, which quantified small-scale grow operations in California and predated the cascade of state-by-state legalization since Colorado was first to legalize in 2012. To date, 36 states have legalized medical use of cannabis, and 15 have legalized recreational use.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mapping variable emissions<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Their research shows that U.S. indoor cannabis cultivation results in life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of between 2,283 and 5,184 kilograms of carbon dioxide per kilogram of dried flower. Compare that to emissions from electricity use in outdoor and greenhouse cannabis growth, which is 22.7 and 326.6 kilograms of carbon dioxide, respectively, according to the New Frontier Data 2018 Cannabis Energy Report<\/strong><\/a>. Those outdoor and greenhouse numbers only consider electricity, while the CSU researchers\u2019 estimate is more comprehensive, but the comparison still highlights the enormously larger footprint of indoor grow operations.<\/span><\/p>\n

The researchers were surprised to find that heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems held the largest energy demand, with numbers fluctuating depending on the local climate \u2014 whether in Florida, which requires excessive dehumidifying, or Colorado, where heating is more important.<\/span><\/p>\n

The high energy consumption of cannabis is due in part to how the product is regulated, Quinn said. In Colorado, many grow operations are required to be in close proximity to retail storefronts, and this has caused an explosion of energy-hungry indoor warehouses in urban areas like Denver. According to a report from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, electricity use from cannabis cultivation and other products grew from 1% to 4% of Denver\u2019s total electricity consumption between 2013 and 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

For complete article Insatiable Demand for Cannabis Has Created a Massive Carbon Footprint (scitechdaily.com)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Colorado’s legal cannabis farms emit more carbon than its coal mines.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Legal cannabis production in Colorado emits more greenhouse gases than the state\u2019s coal mining industry, researchers analysing the sector\u2019s energy use have found.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hailey Summers and her colleagues at Colorado State University have quantified and analysed the greenhouse gas emissions<\/a> produced by cannabis growers.<\/span><\/p>\n

They found that emissions varied widely by state, from 2.3 to 5.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per kilogram of dried flower produced.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Colorado, the emissions add up to around 2.6 megatonnes of CO2e, which is more than that from the state\u2019s coal mining at 1.8 megatonnes of CO2e.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe emissions that come from growing 1 ounce, depending on where it\u2019s grown in the US, is about the same as burning 7 to 16 gallons of gasoline,\u201d says Summers For complete article go to New Scientist 2021<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

******<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, we haven\u2019t even touched on, let alone measured, the impact of the exponentially burgeoning illegal grows, and their contribution to this environmental disaster \u2013 including depleting of natural resources at accelerated rate; diminishing water security; potential for growing threat to food security \u2013 But the following will give you a little snapshot of what that is beginning to look like\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

         <\/span><\/p>\n

 \"IndoorGrow\"              \"OutdoorGrowDump\"<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Water:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n