Hemp is one of the fastest-growing plants in the world, capable of reaching 4 meters tall in just 100 days. Studies have shown that hemp is twice as effective as trees at absorbing and retaining carbon dioxide, with 1 hectare (2.5 acres) of hemp able to absorb 8 to 22 tons of CO2 per year. Hemp could also replace fossil fuels in the plastics and energy markets, as hemp seeds contain 40 percent oil which can be easily converted into plastic or ethanol for energy. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon into the atmosphere, but burning hemp ethanol is carbon that was recently extracted from the atmosphere by the hemp plant.
Despite its potential, many farmers are hesitant to grow hemp due to fear of prosecution by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). It's important to understand the difference between hemp and marijuana, as hemp contains less than 0.3 percent THC according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Hemp fabrics can be manufactured without the use of chemicals and help alleviate environmental degradation caused by the textile and fast fashion industries. Hemp is capable of absorbing more carbon dioxide per hectare than any other commercial crop, and can be grown on a large scale in nutrient-depleted soils with little water or fertilizer.
It's also impressive because hemp can be grown on existing agricultural farms and included in crop rotation, while regenerating depleted soil and having a positive effect on yields. More than 20,000 hemp products are made, including shower curtains, shoes, soaps, breads, protein powder, plastics, paper and energy. The Hemp Blockchain is a company that hopes to use hemp to help solve global warming by providing carbon offsets, credits and cryptocurrency tokens to hemp producers. For Steve Prosniewski, chief operating officer of The Hemp Blockchain, getting people to understand these key differences has been one of the biggest challenges for the company to get off the ground two years ago.
Hemp has the potential to be a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution to global warming. It can absorb more carbon dioxide than any other commercial crop, while also being able to be grown on existing agricultural farms with little water or fertilizer. The Hemp Blockchain is working hard to make sure people understand the difference between hemp and marijuana so that hemp can be used to its full potential in helping solve global warming.
