How burial methods affect the environment — Speaking of Chemistry

Cremation and ground burial both have carbon footprints that have some people looking for other options for the afterlife. ↓↓More info and references below↓↓

Proposed ecofriendly and chemistry-centered alternatives include a process called aquamation, which dissolves bodies in a warm base bath, and human composting, which was just legalized in Washington State. But is one better for the earth than the others? C&EN breaks down the processes to see how our options for the hereafter stack up.

Here are some of the sources we referenced in this video:

The environmental impact of activities after life: life cycle assessment of funerals | Int J Life Cycle Assess

Burial and cremation statistics | National Funeral Directors Association

Green burial council

Recompose

Note: At the time of recording, Recompose was planning to launch in 2021. As of Oct. 14, 2019, their website is suggesting that they are ahead of that schedule, indicating they will be operating in Dec. 2020.

Speaking of Chemistry is a production of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.

[jacquelinewilliams]

Really valuable information explaining all of the variances and elements. Well done!

[RobertoCighetti]

Awesome video. The footage and the editing is superb, the topic is really interesting and appropriated for the historical moment we are living in. I appreciated the delicate and respectful way that was chosen to discuss the benefits and the drawbacks of each method, as well as the science and the data behind it. It clearly demonstrate a lot of effort was put in realizing it. I also enjoyed thw calm and relaxing voice of Dr. Nguyen that gave life and feelings to this topic.

Bravo everyone

[mariadevera-ryeland]

Great video! So informative and so needed given everything going on in the world, including mass deaths. I'm curious to see what green options I have locally. Thank you for your video!

[jenk]

Very interesting! I didn't know about these options! Enjoyed the video.

[cacodaemonia]

I'm donating my body for research.

[roshanazeez]

Nice video for an important topic. Believe Natural burial is so far the most environmentally friendly.... the importance given to it in the video is almost nothing... why ?

[realbangbang]

I'd love to be composted. My future kids could grow a small tree in their backyard with it and in a way I'd be with them quite literally.

However, composting a human body provably isn't so clean. We are on top of the food web and our bodies accumulate a lot of toxic particulate matter depending on our diet. It's the reason we don't eat animals on top of the food web. It's the reason the bald eagle was almost extinct because of our use of DDT.

[HesderOleh]

Just don't use embalming fluids. There is no need for the body to breakdown quickly, so just do a natural burial and save on the composting materials

[shaffieali]

You forgot the cost of transporting the wood

[pheche]

In india mostly we cremate the body, reasons have many aspects to it but I think cremation is better than any other method because it is necessory to burn the body to avoid consequence of epidemic disease may increase possibilities of disease spread and chemical decomposition does not sound good.... Rest question is about CO2 now we are thinking that cremation makes carbon emission and cause imbalance in environment which indicates we exceeded the CO2 limit already by fantastisizing life, just look in your home....how many things that are there we really need?....many of them are luxary goods?....do you know how many carbon get emitted by making those things....just search and know.
Once in india when there was no vehicles and industries ....cremation and cooking were the only major things that cause emission which is making balance the environment at that time.