RADICAL NEW THEORY
Here's some journalism-flavored writing, complete with punch line:
Vegetarianism 'could help climate' "A scientist claims ditching meaty meals in favour of nut roasts could do more to cut greenhouse gas emissions than burning less oil and gas. The radical new theory argues livestock animals bred to be eaten produce 21% of the carbon dioxide attributed to humans. So by trading the traditional Sunday roast for an environmentally-friendly mung bean casserole, damaging emissions can be slashed. The innovative new theory would mean the mass slaughter of all livestock."
It's radical! It's innovative! It's mass slaughter!
Too bad for the livestock, which, if not for this radical new innovative theory, would be.. mass slaughtered.
Monday, July 11
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1 comment:
Any carbon dioxide produced by an animal, like a cow, comes from carbon that was incorporated into its feed. All carbon in living things comes from carbon dioxide. So, the carbon dioxide exhaled by animals originated from the air. So, it's returned back to the air, where it recently existed. This differs from carbon locked into fossil fuels millions of years ago. When it is burned, it adds carbon dioxide to the air.
Methane, though, is 20 times worse than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Cattle worldwide produce an enormous amount of it, turning atmospheric carbon dioxide (locked up as carbon in their feed) to methane. That's a 20:1 worsening effect.
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