Cow 'emissions' more damaging to planet than CO2 from cars

[RitcheyRch]

http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2062484.ece
Meet the world's top destroyer of the environment. It is not the car, or the plane,or even George Bush: it is the cow.
A United Nations report has identified the world's rapidly growing herds of cattle as the greatest threat to the climate, forests and wildlife. And they are blamed for a host of other environmental crimes, from acid rain to the introduction of alien species, from producing deserts to creating dead zones in the oceans, from poisoning rivers and drinking water to destroying coral reefs.
The 400-page report by the Food and Agricultural Organisation, entitled Livestock's Long Shadow, also surveys the damage done by sheep, chickens, pigs and goats. But in almost every case, the world's 1.5 billion cattle are most to blame. Livestock are responsible for 18 per cent of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together.
Burning fuel to produce fertiliser to grow feed, to produce meat and to transport it - and clearing vegetation for grazing - produces 9 per cent of all emissions of carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas. And their wind and manure emit more than one third of emissions of another, methane, which warms the world 20 times faster than carbon dioxide.
Livestock also produces more than 100 other polluting gases, including more than two-thirds of the world's emissions of ammonia, one of the main causes of acid rain.
Ranching, the report adds, is "the major driver of deforestation" worldwide, and overgrazing is turning a fifth of all pastures and ranges into desert.Cows also soak up vast amounts of water: it takes a staggering 990 litres of water to produce one litre of milk.
Wastes from feedlots and fertilisers used to grow their feed overnourish water, causing weeds to choke all other life. And the pesticides, antibiotics and hormones used to treat them get into drinking water and endanger human health.
The pollution washes down to the sea, killing coral reefs and creating "dead zones" devoid of life. One is up to 21,000sqkm, in the Gulf of Mexico, where much of the waste from US beef production is carried down the Mississippi.
The report concludes that, unless drastic changes are made, the massive damage done by livestock will more than double by 2050, as demand for meat increases.

[twowheeledfish]

If you think cattle tax the environment more than an auto, you're quite naive. Whenever you point a finger at someone, three more are pointing back at you.
Anytime you have the time, I'd love to take you to our family cattle ranch so you can see first-hand the devastation they create...lol.

[eliminatedsprinter]

I remember when "environmentalists" villified humans for the damage we did in wiping out the vast heards of grazing mammals. This is just their latest attempt to bash meat eating and thus provide support for their vegan lifstyle.

[SmokinLowriderSS]

If you think cattle tax the environment more than an auto, you're quite naive. Whenever you point a finger at someone, three more are pointing back at you.
Anytime you have the time, I'd love to take you to our family cattle ranch so you can see first-hand the devastation they create...lol.
The first accusation of cow-methane destroying the atmosphere was arround a decade ago, by my recolection. Now, don't make the mistake of thinking I am defending the claim as accurate, just bringing up that it isn't new "science".
Some of the "relevant" text:
A United Nations report has identified the world's rapidly growing herds of cattle as the greatest threat to the climate, forests and wildlife. And they are blamed for a host of other environmental crimes, from acid rain to the introduction of alien species, from producing deserts to creating dead zones in the oceans, from poisoning rivers and drinking water to destroying coral reefs.
The 400-page report by the Food and Agricultural Organisation, entitled Livestock's Long Shadow, also surveys the damage done by sheep, chickens, pigs and goats. But in almost every case, the world's 1.5 billion cattle are most to blame. Livestock are responsible for 18 per cent of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together.
'Course, it helps if you believe "global Warming" is happening. :argue:
The other bane to modern society, the flush toilet. It is singlehandedly destroying all our fresh water, and should be banned, in favor of the dry composting toilet.
http://www.tu-harburg.de/susan/downloads/TheFlushToilet_en.pdf
Down to Earth, Vol 10, No. 19, February 28, 2002
The flush toilet and the sewage system —
which I always believed embodied personal
hygiene and environmental cleanliness — are
a part of the environmental problem and not
the solution. I began to understand from our
research that this technology is quite simply
ecologically mindless.

[eliminatedsprinter]

'Course, it helps if you believe "global Warming" is happening.
I took some climatology in college and my Dad is a retired science teacher, who is now working and teaching part time at Cal Tech (working on an astro-physics research project). So I have a bit of inside scoop on the science involved. It is most likely happening. It is also highly unlikely that man is a signfiicant factor in causing it or that we can do anything about it.
P.S. The frost zones on Mars are shrinking as well. I wonder how our car exhaust and cow farts are getting there.;)

[SmokinLowriderSS]

I'm still wanting to find out where "global cooling" dissapeared to.
I'm not saying the world isn't warming up, I'm just not as sold on the cause as the "global warming" folks are. :)

[work2play]

Save the world, eat a steak.

[SummerBreeze]

sounds like my ex wife
We can't do anything right

[eliminatedsprinter]

Global warming is happening ..... and has been since the last Ice Age ....
Exactly. The Climatologist I had in college described it as "still coming out of the last Ice Age".
Right now we have polar ice caps. Through most of the earths history we haven't had them. We are now still in the end of an "ice age". They will most likely go away someday, like they have before. It is not a linear proccess. There have been periods of cooling as we have come out of this last ice age and there may still be more of them to come before the caps melt. It will most likely be dependant mostly on the sun's activity. Greenhouse gasses are also believed to be a minor factor in the proccess and industrial activity is a minor cause of greenhouse gasses. One good volcanic eruption is believed to put more greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere than man has during the entire Industrialized Age and we average 50+ eruptions a year. So at most we are a minor factor of a minor factor in this proccess. The idea that we can slow or prevent "Global Warming" is magical thinking.

[HM]

Exactly. The Climatologist I had in college described it as "still coming out of the last Ice Age".
Right now we have polar ice caps. Through most of the earths history we haven't had them. We are now still in the end of an "ice age". They will most likely go away someday, like they have before. It is not a linear proccess. There have been periods of cooling as we have come out of this last ice age and there may still be more of them to come before the caps melt. It will most likely be dependant mostly on the sun's activity. Greenhouse gasses are also believed to be a minor factor in the proccess and industrial activity is a minor cause of greenhouse gasses. One good volcanic eruption is believed to put more greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere than man has during the entire Industrialized Age and we average 50+ eruptions a year. So at most we are a minor factor of a minor factor in this proccess. The idea that we can slow or prevent "Global Warming" is magical thinking.
PBS did a documentary on green house gases in the early 90's and they showed how vulcanic eruptions make the green house gases produced by man negligiable - almost immeasurable as a percentage of contribution. This was at the end of when people were claiming global cooling.
But as my redheaded adopted brother from thre great white north said....we have had global warming since the last ice age.....duh.
The problem I have is how people use the "global warming" issue to push their own agenda and comes from a group of people that like to scream the sky is falling. These are the same people that claimed we would be out of oil by now...and they just seem to keep finding more of that shit! Infact, there is some evidence to support the earth actually produces oil - but aside from that, how come we have more oil now that we did in the 70's during the gas crunch? I am not trying to justify that we just keep poluting the earth...but green house gases are not polution. Unfortunately, the drive-by media has no idea what green house gasses are or what global warming really is...it just sells air time. The bottom line is the people pushing "global warming" really don't give a shit about the environment...they hate what America represents...which is Capitalism and Liberty.

[twowheeledfish]

I still smell bullshit here. If ya wanna do something that is positive for both the environment and for your nation, park your car.
The first accusation of cow-methane destroying the atmosphere was arround a decade ago, by my recolection. Now, don't make the mistake of thinking I am defending the claim as accurate, just bringing up that it isn't new "science".
Some of the "relevant" text:
A United Nations report has identified the world's rapidly growing herds of cattle as the greatest threat to the climate, forests and wildlife. And they are blamed for a host of other environmental crimes, from acid rain to the introduction of alien species, from producing deserts to creating dead zones in the oceans, from poisoning rivers and drinking water to destroying coral reefs.
The 400-page report by the Food and Agricultural Organisation, entitled Livestock's Long Shadow, also surveys the damage done by sheep, chickens, pigs and goats. But in almost every case, the world's 1.5 billion cattle are most to blame. Livestock are responsible for 18 per cent of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together.
'Course, it helps if you believe "global Warming" is happening. :argue:
The other bane to modern society, the flush toilet. It is singlehandedly destroying all our fresh water, and should be banned, in favor of the dry composting toilet.
http://www.tu-harburg.de/susan/downloads/TheFlushToilet_en.pdf
Down to Earth, Vol 10, No. 19, February 28, 2002
The flush toilet and the sewage system —
which I always believed embodied personal
hygiene and environmental cleanliness — are
a part of the environmental problem and not
the solution. I began to understand from our
research that this technology is quite simply
ecologically mindless.

[SmokinLowriderSS]

So just how much does it help if I park my truck, or my boat?
My dog farts, should I canister his backside, or just shoot him for poluting?
Is your car parked?
Is there a plan to cap off the volcanos in the world and filter their emmissions?
My point is that it is pointless, and has still not been proven that all we people can do a single thing to alter the earth's environment any more than locally, on the most tiny of scales.
If we shut down every gas-emitting factory and power plant, it wouldn't change a thing, except get smoke out of the air.
If we shut down every car, it wouldn't change a thing, except make you walk to work, and cure LA's smog problem (that might be worth it I hear).
If we kill off every domesticated animal, it wouldn't change a thing.
And now the latest cure for the enviroment, Catalytic Converters on all new boats by 2008, at least inboards so far. Just picture the replacement price of THOSE manifolds.:jawdrop: :jawdrop:
Mercruiser has their system ready to install, others are still working on the finishing touches.

[eliminatedsprinter]

Requiring C. Converters in boats is a classic example of irresponsible, pointless regulation. I know it is a fantasy, but I would favor having charges filed against those involved in producing this mandate immediatly after the first life or boat is lost, due to a fire caused by having converter in a bilge.