· 2 min read
illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Washington Post or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: The U.S. cannabis industry now uses more energy than cryptocurrency mining, accounting for roughly 1% of national electricity consumption and producing emissions equivalent to 10 million cars
• Most of this pollution stems from indoor cultivation relying on artificial lighting, air conditioning, and irrigation
🔭 The context: Indoor cannabis dominates the market due to its higher yield, quality control, and profitability, despite its environmental toll
• Researcher Evan Mills has spent years analysing cannabis energy use, concluding that outdoor cultivation could slash emissions by 75%
• However, factors like unpredictable weather, lower harvest rates, and regulatory hurdles make outdoor growing challenging for many businesses
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: With legal cannabis production tripling in the last decade, its soaring emissions risk undermining broader climate goals
• Indoor farming’s energy-hungry model poses a precedent for other crops entering controlled-environment agriculture
• Encouraging cleaner practices now could prevent a larger environmental burden in the future
⏭️ What's next: Efforts to reduce emissions focus on upgrading indoor facilities with energy-efficient LEDs, renewable energy, and smart design — as seen in Boulder County's pioneering regulations
• Widespread adoption remains slow, particularly in a sector still navigating legality and limited funding
• If cannabis can’t move outdoors, improving indoor sustainability is the industry's best shot at going green
💬 One quote: “Consumers don’t know any of this… There’s zero consumer information about cannabis.” – Evan Mills, energy researcher
📈 One stat: Cannabis cultivation uses more energy than all other U.S. crops combined, according to Mills’s latest research
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