Lawns with lush green grass are used to be considered as a sign of good environment by majority of the people. But a recent study explains that if there were no lawns the total emissions would have been actually lower in certain parts of the country.
Researches have shown that the constituents of turf grass on one hand helps to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but on the other hand generate green house gas emissions that ultimately generates four times carbon. The reasons behind this are the management practices, leaf blowing, mowing, fertilizer production and several other garden maintenance practices.
No doubt lawns do impart a very pleasing effect on eyes and health, they look nice and green, they photosynthesize a lot of organic carbon as mentioned by one of the co-authors of the study Amy Townsend Small. But at the same time the counter acted benefits of lawns are counter acted by the fuel utilization.
To get a proof of the study, researchers gathered samples of grass from four different places in the country. These samples carried either ornamental lawn turf or athletic field turf, which was compressed by nature and required regular replanting and proper ventilation. These samples were taken from the soil which was above the turf. Later these were analyzed to calculate the amount of carbon sequestration and also measuring the carbon dioxide emissions. After that the researchers along with the investigators and experts compared the amount to carbon dioxide emissions which were resulted from the maintenance of the turf. These included fertilizer production, fuel consumption and irrigation.
According to the latest issue of the journal Geophysical Research Letters, a detailed analysis shows that nitrous oxide emissions from lawns can be compared to those found in agricultural farms, and is considered as the largest globally emitters of nitrous oxide. In the decorative lawns, nitrous oxide emissions from fertilization offset just 10 percent to 30 percent of the carbon that ware locked away. Also it was mentioned that the daily management of the lawns required fossil fuel consumption which released around four times more carbon dioxide that the plots could adopt.
Similarly the athletic fields charged even worse. They as compared to the decorative grass don’t trap as much carbon, but they do require as much as emission generating care. As narrated by Townsend-Small, it is nearly impossible for these lawns to be net greenhouse gas sinks because a great deal of fuel is required to maintain them.