It’s long been understood that methane is a vastly more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. It doesn’t stay in the atmosphere as long, but, it also doesn’t have the doubling effect like CO2, and again, it’s is anywhere from 25 to 45 times more potent (some even claim stronger). But, the Cult of Climastrology has mostly ignored it, because, first, what are you going to do, take food away from people?
Second, it requires a rational, thoughtful, scientific based solution to reduce, unlike with “carbon pollution”, which is a nebulous thing, leading to policies of taxation, fees, and more government control.
Third, it’s hard to have a discussion on methane when it devolves into cow farts. But, they are giving it a shot, starting with a study being pimped that states that the methane output from agriculture, mostly meaning cows, is 11 percent higher than previously thought. And then we get this
Grass-fed beef is bad for the planet and causes climate change
Prince Charles is wrong to support grass-fed beef. The idea that beef from cows raised on bucolic pastures is good for the environment, and that we can therefore eat as much meat as we want, doesn’t add up. New calculations suggest cattle pastures contribute to climate change.
“Sadly, though it would be nice if the pro-grazers were right, they aren’t,†says lead author Tara Garnett of the University of Oxford’s Food Climate Research Network. “The truth is, we cannot eat as much meat as we like and save the planet.â€
Many meat eaters have long felt guilty that the beef steaks they love are bringing environmental disaster.
Not me. How about you? If they feel so guilty, they should stop eating beef. And all meat, really. And this new report claims that cattle eating grass (what else are they supposed to eat?) is making things much worse. Which leads back to the 11% study
Garnett’s conclusion is supported by a study published on 29 September, which found that methane emissions from cattle are 11 per cent larger than older methods would suggest, and thus a bigger contributor to global warming (Carbon Balance and Management, doi.org/cdpz).
“We need to reduce emissions from livestock,†says Benton. “That needs to come from dietary change.â€
In other words, people need to stop eating so much meat. And, this being the Cult of Climastrology, they will certainly want a government solution, with a forced reduction in meat production. Because this is what they do.
What they mostly do not do is stop eating meat themselves. Go figure.
Until someone comes out with a comparison of the amount of ungulate farts NOW versus the amount when huge herds of buffalo covered the prairie, I will assume they are talking out their…well, you know.
So, what happens to grass when it dies and has not been eaten by a cow? Doesn’t it get decayed by bacteria and turn into the exact same methane (CH4) and CO2?