Posted on 11/02/2010 9:52:49 AM PDT by Abathar
Every person emits the equivalent of approximately two tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from the time food is produced to when the human body excretes it, representing more than 20% of total yearly emissions. That is what a study by the Universidad de Almería says, confirming for the first time that human excrements contribute to water pollution, primarily with nitrogen and phosphorus.
A team of researchers from the Universidad de Almería (UAL) has estimated the environmental impact of the Spanish diet and role that human excrements play in the life cycle of food. It is the first time that a scientific study of this type incorporates the role played by human excrements.
"Food in Spain produces emissions of around two tonnes of carbon dioxide per person and per year (more than 20% of total emissions per person and per year) and consumes 20 gigajoules of primary energy," main author of the study and researcher at the UAL Iván Muñoz told SINC.
The study, which was published recently in The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, analyses the relationship of the food production and consumption chain with global warming and the acidification and eutrophication (excess of nutrients) of the environment, taking what a person in Spain ate in 2005 (881 kilograms) as a reference.
Calculations included agricultural and animal production, industrial food processing, sale and distribution, preparation and cooking at home, solid waste treatment (food remains and packaging), as well as human excretion.
According to the study, producing food from animals, such as meat and dairy products, causes the greatest impact. Agriculture, livestock, fishing and the food industry are the greatest source of carbon dioxide water pollution, but in both cases the effects of human excretion (through breathing or due to waste water treatment) are next on the list.
Human Excretion Contributes Nutrients
"Human excretion contributes significantly to water polluting through providing organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which fosters the growth of algae, a decrease in the level of oxygen dissolved in the water, bad smells and other problems associated to eutrophication," Muñoz says, "although such effects are minimised by the purification processes performed before wastewaters are discharged into rivers or to the coast."
The researcher makes the point that returning these wastewaters to the environment is not a bad thing in itself, as they are nutrients, just like manure is reused as fertiliser in agriculture.
"The problem is that in many cases our rivers have a very low water level and find it difficult to soak up wastewaters, not only from excrements, but also from other sources such as pesticides and fertilisers used in farming and pollutants from industry," Muñoz indicates.
The researchers have also estimated the CO2 and methane produced by the human metabolism and the energy consumption associated to aspects such as using toilet paper, soap and basin water, together with the treatment of sewage at treatment stations.
As regards emissions, "human excrements have a net null effect on global warming, as they are offset by carbon fixation in photosynthesis. As a result, they do not contribute to increasing the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere".
They got paid to put all that together and this is what the last line of the article said. Must have been paid by the word...
Except Al Gore who suffuses the oxygen rich surface with an eye-clenching emission equivalent to a four hundred meter tall wet buffalo filled with baked beans.
They Forgot about including Mr Me-Thane oh the horror
and what about all the elephants, rhinos and hippos, they produce a lot more co2 than a human does.
yep just another excuse to pull the plug on people...
A friend of mine said it best today...
On our government and socialism...
Do you want to be a human capable of indepedent thought and decision or do you want to be a pet that is eventually put to sleep...?
OK, I will kill myself as soon as Albert Goreon, Bambie Obambie, and all other Marxist and con artist do the same.
No, I take that back. Once they are gone, I, along with the rest of the world, will breathe better then ever, and enjoy life to the hilt.
...and 15 “tonnes” of Taco Dip.
There is a Final Solution, for Work Shall Make Us Free.
I have been planning on a nice victory dinner tonight. I have a couple of delmonico steaks about 2” think going on the grill, couple of big baked potatoes that will be twice baked and fresh green beans to accompany it with a small Caesar salad.
I will be thinking about this study as I enjoy every damn bite too.
[ Do you want to be a human capable of indepedent thought and decision or do you want to be a pet that is eventually put to sleep...? ]
Being a slave or a pet has the same end result, you will be put down with great effieceny when your usefulness has ended.
A lot of the welfare class behave like pets and don;t realize they are actually slaves.
I think everyone who gives a sh*t about this should stop eating.
Hell my wife says I emit 4 tons of gas a year from my arse...
2 tons, that is unless you are eating lots of Mexican food, then there is a geometric progression of the emissions.
¡Ay, caramba!
...and I add more water to the ecosystem by p-ing. So there.
Remind me to go to Sonic Drive-In for lunch tomorrow so I can eat in my car with the engine running.
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