
Cars and industry in general are obviously the prime contributors to greenhouse gas emissions but farm animal flatulence is right up there.
Up to 60% of global methane pollution is placed at their hooves, say researchers looking to curb the problem at the Rowett Research Institute in Scotland.
Institute researchers say a cure needs to be found because the average cow contributes as much to global warming as a family car that travels 12,000 miles and that methane is 24 times more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide. Methane is said to contribute as much as 18% towards the global warming.
Rowett Research Institute scientists are experimenting with adding fumaric acid to animal feed to reduce ruminant wind. Fumaric acid is a chemical that traps hydrogen produced by their digestive systems and stops it being turned into methane. Results of trials in lambs have far exceeded expectations, cutting the volume of methane by up to 70%. But cows have proved more stubborn, and the scientists have been frustrated so far in their attempts to substantially reduce their flatulence, according to an article on the Telegraph.co.uk Web site.
An institute spokesman said it was looking for commercial partners for the research, but said it was too early to say how its findings would be used or how the new feed would be distributed.The New Zealand government briefly considered taxing farmers on their herds' methane output but the proposal had to be dropped following opposition.
Some think the answer or part of it lies in is a better cow gas meter.
"Curiously enough, a cow is 90% inefficient. Ninety percent of what she eats goes right back out. It just so happens that the conversion that takes place in the rumen makes the nutrients more available in the grass than what was in the soil," Bill Dunlap, who raises about a dozen beef cows a year in Lakeview, N.C. told the IndyWeek.com Web site.
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"Obviously?"
Um, how does 4% make mankind the "largest contributor"? Actually most of the "greenhouse gases" come from decomposing bio-matter in the world's oceans (for methane), and Volcanic activity (for CO2). Mankind, at its worst, has contributed nor more than 4% to the total greenhouse gas content of the atmosphere, and that's a the highest measurement. A good chunk of that 4% gets broken down into carbon and oxygen due to sun and weather activity too, in addition to photosynthesis.
Once again, junk science makes assumptions where empirical data is lacking or non-existent. That is obvious.
Hmm, North America has one of its coldest winters ever on record, and as a result the Earth has cooled an entire degree in less than one year, yet because of religious zeal and politically popular junk science, even major cooling is somehow blamed on warming. What?!
Gas does not a weather system make, even greenhouse gases. There are far too many variables involved (sun activity, Earth's weakening magnetic field, axis tilt, volcanic activity, plant cover, ocean currents, cloud cover, water vapor, air currents, dust, solar system debris entering the atmosphere, soil color and reflectivity, ocean salinity, and localized differences in these affect other micro-climates, etc.) and no computer model is capable of predicting the weather or climate even mere hours in the future, let alone years.
Even the junk science of the past had models and mathematical formulas to prove the Earth was the center of the universe. All were marvels of mathematics and thought, yet despite the "accuracy" of their charts and models (their "proof"), they were dead wrong. The main reason was because they refused to see the whole picture and just concentrated on the popular theory and that it could never be wrong and based their models and math on a completely wrong assumption, which means no matter how good the math and "science" is to prove a theory, if the theory is wrong, then it's wrong.
What they lacked was the full perspective of the solar system, just as our modern day junk scientists refuse to view contradicting evidence that doesn't fit with their theory, which is usually only based upon gas measurements, ice packs and earth "temperature" readings by equipment sitting on asphalt driveways and next to fire engine radiators (gee, I wonder why there are spikes of heat). Besides, politically, doing so can ruin their careers, no matter what the truth is.
Seeing junk reporting like this is equally disappointing. Making a broad declaration on something that has no basis in fact is an expression of religious belief and not responsible , impartial, and honest reporting. Religious belief is best put in the context of religion and not something that requires debate as the Global Warming zealots refuse to do.
I expect most of the members of the Church of Global Warming will respond with the usual attacks full of anger, accusation, and vitriol they use instead of the required evidence or calm debate. Questioning someone's religion tends to bring that behavior out in those with so much invested in it, that have not an intelligent deity to humbly ask if it's true or just a fairy-tale. Lacking any real religious understanding they use the usual adolescent response of name calling.
The Whole Picture
If you want the whole picture... there is over 3 billion cows in the world, 6 billion pigs and over 8 billion chickens. Hows that for the bigger picture alittle more methan won't hurt? Is that what your saying?
Are you on crack?
This winter and several before them have been the hottest EVER up here in Canada. With record snowfalls because of the heightened temperature ( snow doesnt fall below -15 degrees celsius ).
Last time I saw a -30 celsius, ( without the wind factor accounted for ) which was commonplace 10 years ago from x-mas to the end of february, was 3 years ago.
Stop smoking crack dude.