Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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It has been said to me many times that hemp is a magical crop in the context of carbon sequestration. One of the opening statements asserted that hemp sequesters, on average, 10 tonnes of net carbon dioxide per hectare. This means that 10,000 ha sown would reduce carbon emissions by 100,000 tonnes per annum in a four-month window. One of the speakers referenced the fact that with forestry, trees sequester carbon until such stage as they are cut down. What is the situation with this crop and sequestering carbon? When the soil is disturbed, is the carbon re-emitted? How does that work?