Manicured lawns contribute to global warming by producing greenhouse gases

Zee News (India) ^ | January 18, 2015

[Oldeconomybuyer]

London: A new study has recently revealed that manicured lawns are major source of greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming.

Grass lawns soak up carbon dioxide, which is stored in the soil after the cut grass rots and so, like trees, they are considered good for the planet. But Dr. Chuanhui Gu of Appalachian State University in the US said that once the energy expended by mowing, fertilizer use and watering are taken into account, lawns actually produce more greenhouse gases than they soak up.

The study is published in the Journal of Environmental Management.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

[boycott]

Good. I don’t feel so bad about the condition of my yard now..

[Klemper]

Because nothing would be growing there if the yard was not maintained. Makes sense! LOL!

[yldstrk]

yeah better to have dry dirt washing away from erosion, contributing to foundation issues, why have houses and lawns at all, let’s just live in caves like the Taliban, that’s the ticket! sarc

[Fred911]

Friggin genius....does he get paid for this bull sh1t?

[SWAMPSNIPER]

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Grass farts?

[Gaffer]

The first rule in believability of anything with respect to the environment and global climate change (renamed from global warming) is to FIRST find the source of the money used to produce the “research.”

[txrefugee]

All the lazy husbands will cheer this dubious climate kook study.

[Blueflag]

Author should study the carbon cycle and botany a little better. Rapidly growing grasses are by far net producers of oxygen versus CO2. At night they are net emitters of CO2 as the cells continue respiration, but overall they are one of the best planetary sources of O2 Plants fix atmospheric CO2 into hydrocarbons during photosynthesis. So yes they 'clean' the air. But ... When plant material rots a good bit of methane is produced which is far more active greenhouse gas than CO2. Only water VAPOR (not clouds) is a greater net contributor to the greenhouse effect (which by the way does not manifest at the surface but rather much higher in the atmosphere) From a botanical standpoint an old growth forest produces an order of magnitude more methane (decay and termites) and CO2 than any manicured grass lawn. I won't contest the bit about what poorly maintained Indian gas lawn mowers do ✌️

[MeshugeMikey]

[Fresh Wind]

They want us to use these...

[RhoTheta]

Has anybody considered the emissions of millions of unregulated leaf-blowers? I thought not, since it is the tool of choice for a protected group of imported laborers. What ever became of hiring the kid down the street to rake leaves?

[Fiji Hill]

I remember reading back around the time Jimmy Carter took office that manicured lawns contribute to global cooling and are helping to bring about the onset of the next Ice Age.

[FrankR]

I’m just guessing here, but probably If - compared to the total land area of the world was compared to the amount of “manicured lawn” area it would be like a postage stamp in the middle of the Sahara desert...or less.

[nothingnew]

I'm not lazy, or cheap. As a matter of fact, I bought my wife her own lawnmower for Christmas.

FMCDH(BITS)

[V_TWIN]

“Friggin genius....does he get paid for this bull sh1t?”

Probably a gubmint grant.

[McGavin999]

My neighbor uses one of those and the sound just drives me up a wall.

[V_TWIN]

My home owners association is not amused.

[ExCTCitizen]

I got to read this article... I got to go to 'BooksAMillion' to see if I can get the 'Journal of Environmental Mismanagement' magazine there.

I bet it is published by the 'United States Communist Party'.