Posted on 11/01/2009 8:21:32 AM PST by ricks_place
Livestock and Climate Change: What if the key actors in climate change are...cows, pigs, and chickens?
The environmental impact of the lifecycle and supply chain of animals raised for food has been vastly underestimated, and in fact accounts for at least half of all human-caused greenhouse gases (GHGs), according to Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang, co-authors of "Livestock and Climate Change".
A widely cited 2006 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Livestock's Long Shadow, estimates that 18 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions are attributable to cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, camels, pigs, and poultry. But recent analysis by Goodland and Anhang finds that livestock and their byproducts actually account for at least 32.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, or 51 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions.
(Excerpt) Read more at worldwatch.org ...
Every time a cow farts, another Polar Bear drowns.
Every time a cow farts another climate refugee is created.
Animals cause half the human caused green house gases
(GHGs).
What do (NUTS) cause?
Termites. Global emissions of methane due to termites are estimated to be between 20 and 29 Tg per year, making them the second largest natural source of methane emissions. Methane is produced in termites as part of their normal digestive process, and the amount generated varies among different species. Ultimately, emissions from termites depend largely on the population of these insects, which can also vary significantly among different regions of the world.
Instead of concentrating on livestock, we should be working on a more attainable goal, such as eliminating every termite on the planet.
LOL
So, when do these people plan to stop beating around bush and just provide us with a species elimination list? That's about the only logical conclusion to all this harping about how much food animals contribution to carbon dioxide emissions.
But once all these carbon dioxide producing animals are eliminated, they'll be shocked to discover that there is insufficient carbon dioxide to meet the needs of all the additional food plants that must be grown.
Then, what or who must be eliminated next?
The problems of junk science can never be solved.
So why aren’t the vegan environuts eating more prime rib?
It’s the vegans and Gore’s gang of geeks trying to make us feel guilty for having canine teeth.
A few hundred years ago there were millions of bison eating and crapping all over the great plains. Huge herds of caribou and musk oxen pooping and farting all accross the tundra. Giant herds of wildebeast and other grazing animals passing gass all over Africa.
So, how come the earth is cooling?
So is that why we nearly exterminated the American Bison? If only they taught history instead of diversity. Stop the American Public Indoctrination System. The National Education Association has got to go!
http://www.cattletoday.com/archive/2008/October/CT1776.shtml
DO CATTLE REALLY INCREASE METHANE IN ATMOSPHERE?
by: David South
Auburn University
Interested in greenhouse gasses produced by cows? If so, you might be interested in this news about methane. Water vapor, methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide are the four primary greenhouse gasses. From 1990 to 2004, the total U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide increased by 19.9 percent while methane emissions decreased by 10 percent. During animal digestion, methane is produced through enteric fermentation, in which microbes residing in animal digestive systems break down food and produce methane. Ruminants, which include cattle, buffalo, sheep, and goats, have a large fore-stomach where methane-producing fermentation occurs. In 2004, methane produced by ruminates contribute only 1.6 percent of the major ‘greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. From 1990 to 2004, methane production by enteric fermentation declined by 4.5 percent.
Until recently, some claimed the level of atmospheric methane was related to the number of ruminants in the world (mostly cows, sheep and goats). It seemed as though for each additional billion large ruminants (where 8 sheep = 1 large ruminant), atmospheric methane increased by 1 ppb (parts per billion). Between 1979 and 1999, methane concentrations increased by 10.8 ppb per year, and large ruminant numbers increased by about 8.7 billion per year. However, this apparent correlation is unrealistic since, globally, ruminants only account for about 26 percent of the methane emissions that result from human activities. Methane is also produced by landfills (the largest US human-caused source of methane) and the production of natural gas (the second largest US source). In addition to animal produced methane (the third-largest US source), methane is produced by coal rnining, manure management, treatment of wastewater, rice cultivation, mining of fossil fuels and burning of forests and grasslands.
However, around 1999 the world apparently changed, and the increase in methane in the atmosphere has slowed. On November 17, 2003, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that the concentration of methane in the atmosphere was leveling off and it appears to have remained at about the same level as in 1999 (there has been a nonsignificant increase of 0.3 ppb/year). Now it seems the strong relationship between number of cows and methane that once existed has vanished. Since 1999, it seems as though for each additional billion ruminants, methane now increases by only 0.005 ppb.
So what caused the change? In short, we do not know. Perhaps the oceans are cooling slightly and releasing less methane. If our global warming models were good enough, we would know exactly why the increased slowed. However, even the best computer modelers did not predict this leveling off. They likely still assume a continued increase in atmospheric methane for the next 22 years (which some journalists are quick to report). For example, a recent report, by an organization that won the 2007 Nobel Peace prize, said “If methane emissions grow in direct proportion to increases in livestock numbers, then global livestock-related methane production is expected to increase by 60 percent up to 2030 (FAO 2003),” The slow increase in methane now raises questions about the accuracy of this prediction by Nobel laureates.
From 1979 to 1999 there appears to be a correlation between global atmospheric methane and number of cattle equivalents (includes sheep and goats). However, this relationship did not continue from 1999 to 2006. Data were adapted (with permission) from the Animal Production & Health Section Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications International Atomic Energy Agency. For more information on this subject, go to www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/ aph/stories/2008-atmospheric- methane.html
Every time a cow farts, a tree goes sniff, sniff and another bud emerges.
The REAL reason that “THEY” are focusing on farm animals and to a greater extent, the “environmental movement” in general, has little to do with the environment. It is about control. The farm is where self sufficiency, energy independence and the internet’s “information revolution” intersect and it is a huge threat to progressives world wide. That is why the war on the small family farmer started decades ago and continues today with the likes of the “Fart Tax”. There are thousands of farms around the USA that are both energy independent and of course self sufficient with respect to food production. “THEY” cannot have the same people who produce our food and own large tracts of land, being off-grid and independent. If more people knew that the byproducts from a few dozen cows, pigs and chickens provided enough clean energy in the form of methane to cook with and run a small generator in addition to providing eggs, milk and bacon you could have some serious control problems on your hands. I encourage everyone to read up on Biogas digesters and methane production and keep it in the back of your mind when the enviro-Nazis start talking about cow farts.
And still no sunspots.
Here’s a quick read to get you started.
http://www.journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/methane_pain.html
Enviro-nazis is a very accurate term.
I just read the other day, that a study done by leading researchers concluded that carbon dioxide’s role as a greenhouse gas was overestimated by 6 times!! This factor was used by most computer models. If CO2’s effect can be overestimated, why not methane also?
I haven’t seen this story again, If I do I’ll post it.
Seems like the sun has been cooperating in making gore look like the con artist he is.
People are waking up.
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