In all the discussions about how to stop climate change, hemp is hardly ever brought up.
Modern industrial hemp, more commonly referred to as cannabis, is too weak to be used as a narcotic, yet it is incredibly effective at both absorbing and locking up carbon.
As one of the world’s quickest-growing plants, hemp can grow up to 4 metres in just 100 days.
The research showed that 1 hectare of hemp will absorb between 8 and 22 tonnes of CO2e per year, far more than the absorption rates of any woodland.
They found that the CO2 is then permanently fixed within the hemp fibres which are incredibly strong and can be used for many purposes.
Hemp is used in textiles, insulation for buildings, concrete and medicines – the car manufacturer BMW is even using it to replace a number of plastic car parts!