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Bamboo Is Better

Fast-growing bamboo could be a powerful ally in the fight against climate change. Tom meets the man hoping to create a thousand bamboo villages and asks which are the best uses.

Fast-growing bamboo has gone in and out of fashion but is now being seen as a possible climate hero. Its capacity to absorb carbon is enhanced by how densely it can be grown, the speed and its regrowth after harvesting - a great advantage over trees.
Tom Heap meets Arief Rabiek from the Environmental Bamboo Foundation based in Indonesia. He's working to restore degraded land by planting bamboo which can be managed by communities on a forest to factory system. The harvested product can be used for building structures and furniture through to vases baskets and clothing. He wants to expand the project to nine other countries to bring economic and environmental benefits but are some uses better than others? Dr Tamsin Edwards helps evaluate the scope of bamboo as a solution.

Producer: Anne-Marie Bullock

Researcher: Sarah Goodman

Produced in conjunction with the Royal Geographical Society. Particular thanks for this episode to Professor Vincent Gauci of the University of Birmingham.

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14 minutes

Last on

Sat 2 Jul 2022 14:45

Broadcasts

  • Thu 29 Apr 2021 13:45
  • Sat 2 Jul 2022 14:45

Our Planet Now

Our Planet Now

The 大象传媒鈥檚 ongoing focus on the environment and the challenges facing our planet.

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