[8schan]

I was watching MTV recently, and I saw an interview with David Suzuki.

It was told on the interview that one fart from a cow releases 22 metrics (if that is the correct measurment) of methane, that's more than many transportations combined!

Did you also know that David Suzuki has his OWN PRIVATE JET that he uses to transport him and his family home on weekends?

Let me hear your thoughts on this issue[s].

[workinman]

i've heard that about cows before. i can't remember the article but it was interesting and pointed out some good facts about that statement, i'll have to try and find it.

didn't know that about david suzuki! another case of some people need to practice what they preach if its true!!

[Simon47]

Originally Posted by 8schan

I was watching MTV recently, and I saw an interview with David Suzuki.

It was told on the interview that one fart from a cow releases 22 metrics (if that is the correct measurment) of methane, that's more than many transportations combined!

Did you also know that David Suzuki has his OWN PRIVATE JET that he uses to transport him and his family home on weekends?

Let me hear your thoughts on this issue[s].

There are good articles on wikepedia on cows and greenhouse gases and methane contributions to warming.

re suzuki jet

One of the critical issues is the idea of balancing. ie) the good you do offests the bad you do. Many take a vow to Do No Harm and we all know that some harm is done no matter how hard you try. We have begun to hear through Kyoto and other networks about carbon points and points trading. I don't like it. Meet your targets; don't pollute. You get no points for second place.

The true question lies in extranneous air travel and other waste or emissions. Not necessary or possibly even eliminated in a different cultural bias. We thought the internet would lessen travel by opening communications and teleconferencing for business and the computer and digital era actually created more pollution and more paper usage, more travel, more business, more more more when it was expected to reduce paper through digitization.

I brought up the contradiction a few days ago relating to stars endorsement of climate change action and the lavish lifestyles they all live that contradict the type of conservationism needed in this age. Look at all the government talks and public presentations that come with a hundred dollar a plate to meet your Minister. Huh! Who is it all about?

Even David Suzuki puts the onus on the little people to make the change as I often do as well. Accept personal responsibility and do what you can. If we are all thinking about it consciously long enough it becomes and unconscious part of the way we live. Balance may be achieved individually. as a group...are we capable?

Sim

[savinggreen]

Originally Posted by 8schan

It was told on the interview that one fart from a cow releases 22 metrics (if that is the correct measurment) of methane, that's more than many transportations combined!

It's quite alarming, isn't it! The process is called “enteric fermentation”, although that's only a portion of the cow's emissions. There are also emissions from the manure - refered to as “manure management”.

In fact cows do emit more methane (CH4) than cars – way more. A dairy cow emits 118 kg of methane each year, while an average car in Canada emits 0.6 kg. But don’t forget that CO2 is a much more significant GHG than is CH4.

Still, the cow methane adds up: in 2001, enteric fermentation was the source of 19,000 ktCO2eq (if you include the manure, it’s 29,000!), while gasoline cars, SUVs and pickup trucks combined for 88,000. So overall the cars are emitting about 4 times more than the cows, but the very fact that cows are in the same ballpark is amazing.

Note that the total enteric fermentation numbers are from all livestock in Canada, not just cows. I think it’s also interesting that dairy cows emit twice as much methane as do beef cows.

(ktCO2eq is kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is the standard reporting unit for GHG emissions. CO2eq includes CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs and SF6)

source for all of this is Canada's Greenhouse Gas Inventory, which is Canada's submission to the UNFCCC.

[TheQueen31]

I was aware of the issue with cows. They believe they also eat an enormous amount of grain, do they not? I remember reading somewhere a figure on how our livestock eats enough grain to feed some insanely large number of people, but I can’t remember where I read it…I need to kickstart this broken down brain in my head. (thank you Spirit of the West)

I wonder how Mr Suzuki defends his use of the private jet? Anyone know how much he actually uses it?

[Dreamweaverr]

I'm all for making those corporate ceos have to fly in sardine cans like the rest of us peons. Talk about corporate waste. When Carly Firorina was running Hewlett Packard, she just had to invest in corporate jets at the same time she was laying people off. This has nothing to do with cows, but corporate excess while the little guy sweats over a pay cut or even loses a job.

Now about the cows. There is what I call a cow factory on highway five in the middle of California, out in farm country. The cows are not grazing on nice grass or any scenic and idyllic farm setting. They are massed together by the thousands and fed at feeding troughs. When I drive in the area, even with my lousy sense of smell, the STENCH from that cow factory is overwhelming from quite a distance away. It just about knocks my socks off. (I wonder if the workers have to work there with gas masks on.) When my daughter was much smaller, I drove by there with her. She was half asleep in the back seat and jolted awake asking what was so stinky. I know much of the smell was from the huge mounds of manure composting which does release gases, but it never occured to me all those cows may be adding their own personal gases to the mix. Suddenly a series of really silly cartoons have flooded my head...LOL

[savinggreen]

great video spoof about mass farming as you've described it...

The Meatrix

[mollyL]

Oh yes, cows present more problems than just their malodorousness; the grain it takes to feed them, stream- and riverside destruction, and lots more. I've read that untold millions of acres have been ripped out of the rainforest for one thing: cattle production.
Want to make a real contribution to the environment of the whole world? Stop eating beef. Heck, stop eating flesh of all kinds and then the over-fishing of the ocean becomes a moot point. Demand for diesel-, truck, and boat fuel come down. You won't have to drive through Stockton, California with a clothespin over your nose.
Come on, let's effect some real change and we won't have to nitpick about Dr Whoosit and his jet.

[justontime]

[quote=savinggreen;4962]I think it�s also interesting that dairy cows emit twice as much methane as do beef cows.quote]
I presume this must be because of their diet? Surely the answer is to rear them less intensively. Not all cattle are fed on huge amounts of grain. I am not convinced by all the bad press cattle, yes it is an issue, but I think a lot of it is the transport industry trying to take the spotlight off themselves.

[chris1203]

LOL. That's hilarious. I have heard about cows releaseing methane before, but that was through their belching. Maybe we should come up with a product that stops cows from farting and belching. What do you think? Will that protect the environment?