Elephants on grass: only lively debate can save Australia's environment

I certainly agree with Professor Bowman's call for unfettered public debate about critical environmental issues such as environmental sustainability.

While for 50 years I have wished for something like The Conversation in Australian public life - a popular magazine with articles written by credentialled experts - I am a bit disappointed with the contributions of scientists in particular who in general seem rather timid (probably from real fear of anything adverse affecting their research grant proposals). Professor Bowman is a refreshing exception.

That said, I take my cue from Lord Kelvin who argued that arguments should ideally be couched in quantitative terms and from that stance it is clear that from a greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction perspective the Gamba grass should be dealt with via conversion of Gamba biomass to biochar in solar energy-driven microwave furnaces rather than through methane-generating feral elephants which would compound the environmental impact.

Top climate scientists and biologists say that we must urgently reduce the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) from the present dangerous and damaging 394 parts per million (ppm) to the circa 300 ppm that has not been exceeded until recently for about 800,000 years (Google "300 ppm CO2" and 300.org) and conversion of NT pests like Gamba and Mimosa pigra to biochar would make a useful contribution.