Fwd: Koeien-gas hoofdoorzaak (LA Times, 10/15/07)

[Henk Vreekamp]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

> From the Los Angeles Times:
>
>Killer cow emissions
>Livestock are a leading source of greenhouse gases. Why isn't anyone raising
>a stink?
>
>October 15, 2007
>
>It's a silent but deadly source of greenhouse gases that contributes more to
>global warming than the entire world transportation sector, yet politicians
>almost never discuss it, and environmental lobbyists and other green
>activist groups seem unaware of its existence.
>
>That may be because it's tough to take cow flatulence seriously. But
>livestock emissions are no joke.
>
>Most of the national debate about global warming centers on carbon dioxide,
>the world's most abundant greenhouse gas, and its major sources -- fossil
>fuels. Seldom mentioned is that cows and other ruminants, such as sheep and
>goats, are walking gas factories that take in fodder and put out methane and
>nitrous oxide, two greenhouse gases that are far more efficient at trapping
>heat than carbon dioxide. Methane, with 21 times the warming potential of
>CO2, comes from both ends of a cow, but mostly the front. Frat boys have
>nothing on bovines, as it's estimated that a single cow can belch out
>anywhere from 25 to 130 gallons of methane a day.
>
>It isn't just the gas they pass that makes livestock troublesome. A report
>from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization identified
>livestock as one of the two or three top contributors to the world's most
>serious environmental problems, including water pollution and species loss.
>In terms of climate change, livestock are a threat not only because of the
>gases coming from their stomachs and manure but because of deforestation, as
>land is cleared to make way for pastures, and the amount of energy needed to
>produce the crops that feed the animals.
>
>All told, livestock are responsible for 18% of greenhouse-gas emissions
>worldwide, according to the U.N. -- more than all the planes, trains and
>automobiles on the planet. And it's going to get a lot worse. As living
>standards rise in the developing world, so does its fondness for meat and
>dairy. Annual per-capita meat consumption in developing countries doubled
>from 31 pounds in 1980 to 62 pounds in 2002, according to the Food and
>Agriculture Organization, which expects global meat production to more than
>double by 2050. That means the environmental damage of ranching would have
>to be cut in half just to keep emissions at their current, dangerous level.
>
>It isn't enough to improve mileage standards or crack down on diesel truck
>emissions, as politicians at both the state and national levels are working
>to do. Eventually, the United States and other countries are going to have
>to clean up their agricultural practices, while consumers can do their part
>by cutting back on red meat.
>
>
>For the rest of the story, go to:
>http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-ed-methane15oct15,1,848
>859.story

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