I've been talking with friends who've recently watched Al Gore's global warming warning film, An Inconvenient Truth. It's been highly recommended and I'm eager to see it. It's in my Blockbuster mail-order queue already. Although, it may have been bumped down a few notches since Broken Lizard's Beerfest came out. Regardless, I will see it soon.Its interesting that AIT was the topic of several conversations the same week the U.N. Food & Agriculture Organization released its report: Livestock's Long Shadow. It's a decided indictment of the cattle industry's contributions to global warming. Anyone heard about it yet? It actually says that cow emissions cause more damage to the environment than automobile emissions. That's right, I said more. For any of you Greenies out there (Ken, Karen, et al.) did A.G. mention the fact that bovine appear to be the chief provocateur in the warming of our globe? As noted in the Des Moines Register, "The report estimates that livestock production worldwide is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions". That's more than the entire transportation industry.
In actuality, it's a lot more complicated than "emissions". The report takes into account everything that goes into the livestock business: making feed, clearing land for pastures, processing fertilizer, etc. But cow farts do seem to be a big part of the equation. A big, smelly part. It's a stunning proclamation, a sobering fact and a subject of great consequence. Moo-Cow farts are devastating our planet. I crap you not.
Matthew Tolic! How are you? I'm so glad you found us on blogger, and that you too have a blog....blog blog bloggdy blog. I'm glad to know you're listening to Sufjan Stevens. You always fit that "cool music guy" description when I think of you. So to know that you're listening to Sufjan, I know I'm doing something right. Have you heard his Christmas stuff? Awesome! We need to have a discussion on music. How are your girls. I need to see a current picture of them. Hope parenthood is treating you well. You're book marked now, so expect to hear more from me.
ReplyDeletePeace!
It is interesting that AG didn't mention cow farts...maybe cow farts don't scare people like melting polar ice does! I always get a great laugh from your blog. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteI have a nut of a coworker who claims this as well. There's no way on God's somewhat green earth that cow farts are worse than the rest of the emmisions. I'll agree with some of the agricultural and land use stuff though. Cow production is pretty inefficient. I don't remember Big Al saying anything about the cows though.
ReplyDeleteYou can click on that link and download the 400p. PDF of the report if you like. It's true my friend. But to be fair to the cows, it addresses the global meat & dairy industry. It's not just cow farts, but goat burps and chicken shit as well.
ReplyDeleteBut think about the amount of trees that are cut down to make room for these oversized herds of cattle. How much water is used to irrigate the fields that grow the feed that's needed to maintain these animals. What about the buildup of waste those overcrowded chicken ranches have to dispose of. Where do you think it goes? What happens when the rain forests are cleared for pasture? The grazing doesn't stop until everything is gone and it eventually turns into desert. About 232 million tons of meat was processed world wide from 99-01. They expect that to double by 2050. Milk output is projected to grow to 1043 million tons by that time. This is an enormous industry.
Back to the cows. Did you know that Methane (farts) is 23x more "warming" than CO2? Nitrous Oxide (manure) 296x? We make dog food that reduces intestinal gas. But if a cow farts in a field, does anybody hear it? Apparently not.
Ahoy Mrs. Milton! Nice to hear from you. Welcome aboard.
ReplyDeleteI actually don't love the Christmas album. But I've only listened to it once so far. Although I did think it would be cool to hear his Little Drummer Boy on the radio every year from now on.
The girls are awesome. Thanks for asking. I'll have to do something about them here soon.
We'll I guess having the industry double in 40 years will be "good" seeing as how the seafood industry will be obsolete by then.
ReplyDeleteMore importantly if a cow farts in a field will anyone SMELL it.
Ha ha ha.
I've got it! It's all a big conspiracy! The meat and dairy industry sent their thugs to pay Mr. Gore a "visit". "Better not publish those findings, Mr. Gore, OR ELSE!"
ReplyDelete;-)
check this article from my niece's school:
ReplyDeleteOctober 26, 2006 5:49 PM ETVermont College to Run on Cow 'Power'
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Cow poop is lighting the way for students at a tiny Vermont college.
Green Mountain College, a 760-student school located along the Vermont-New York border, started Thursday to get half of its electricity from farms that run generators powered by methane gas extracted from cow manure.
The college will pay a premium for the privilege -- an extra $48,000 on its $250,000-a-year electricity bill.
"It's a perfect fit," said college President John F. Brennan. "We're an environmental college, we're dedicated to environmental applications and renewable energy."
College and utility officials gathered at Blue Spruce Farm in Bridport, 35 miles north of its Poultney campus, to announce the agreement. The farm is the site of Central Vermont Public Service Corp.'s first cow power generator, which its owners fired up nearly two years ago.
The power company, which harnesses and delivers the power, allows customers to take 25 percent, 50 percent or all of their electricity from the cow power program. Since the Audet family installed the initial generator for the project at their farm, they've installed a second.
The utility, which has signed up more than 3,500 other customers for cow power, has provided grants to four other farms to help them pay for generators, and more are in the works.
"We're hoping by the end of 2010 to have 12 farms and 7,500 to 10,000 customers" involved in the program, said power company spokesman Steve Costello.
The Audets have about 1,000 milking Holsteins and 500 young stock in high-tech barns that feature "alley scrapers" -- much like big squeegees on wheels -- that move down the rows of cows, pushing their manure through grates to a conveyor belt below.
The belt carries the manure to an anaerobic -- meaning oxygen-free -- digester, a 100-foot-by-70-foot structure similar to a covered swimming pool. Methane is extracted from the digester and piped to the two generators. The power they make is then sent through transformers and onto the grid.
About 600 utility-sponsored programs around the country ask customers to pay a premium on their rates to support development of renewable energy sources, Costello said. In many such programs, customers are told their power is coming from some combination of wind turbines, hydroelectric dams or other renewable sources.
But there's less specificity about the sources of that power than there is with the CVPS program, he said.
"One of the reasons we did cow power as opposed to wind or just plain renewables is the homegrown nature of it and its connection to Vermont," he said. Customers can "drive by the farm and see where their energy is coming from and stop by for a visit if they want to."
© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Copyright 2006 AP
Here's more stuff I found:
ReplyDeletename Louise W.
status student
age 20s
Question - Despite the grotesque deforestation for cattle farming, I wonder if you could
tell me if the methane produced by the animals while living is thought to be a significant
contributor to global warming.
-----------------
Dear Louise-
There are many sources for methane, with livestock production making up a significant
fraction of the total methane production from anthropogenic sources. The EPA estimates
that, for the U.S., about 25 percent of the total methane generated from anthropogentic
sources comes from domesticated livestock and their manure. Here are a couple of good
web sites concerning
methane production:
http://www.epa.gov/ghginfo/topics/topic4.htm
http://www.epa.gov/ghginfo/topics/topic2.htm#anthro
Methane only comprises about 13 percent of the 4 greenhouse gases along with water vapor
that create the natural greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide comprises about 76 percent of
the total. Here is another link you might find useful:
http://globalwarming.enviroweb.org/ishappening/sources/index.html
Good luck on your study of greenhouse gases and global warming...!
Wendell Bechtold, meteorologist
Forecaster, National Weather Service
Weather Forecast Office, St. Louis, MO
here's another bunch of info. Do a search for methane on the page to read articles about its impact:
ReplyDeletehttp://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change/
All I got was this guy: http://www.mrmethane.com/
ReplyDeleteNah, there's lots. Here's a good one:
ReplyDeletehttp://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change/mg18925414.100