Nov 13 2009
Even the Cows are Guilty
Greenhouse Gases? Global Warming? Climate Change? Everyone on the planet is somehow partially responsible for creating the problems that the earth is facing today. Hell, even the cows are to blame!
In order to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions in the world, first we must understand what they are. There are seven different types of greenhouse gases that are emitted throughout our nation, some of them occur naturally, some are produced by human activities and some are human made such as Hydrofluorocarbons, Perfluorocarbons and Sulfur hexafluoride. Gases that are exclusively human made are considered industrial gases, that have naturally increased since the industrial revolution nearly 150 years ago. Nearly 3/4 of the gases that are produced due to human activity in the last 20 years have come from burning fossil fuels.
We aren’t the only species that’s killing our planet, there is another culprit emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere; COWS! Yep it’s true, all those “happy cows” in California are aiding in killing the planet! Cows emit a massive amount of methane through belching, and a wee bit lesser amount through flatulence. And methane is indeed a greenhouse gas; therefore it is righteous to say that the amount of cows belching and farting on the planet is killing us! Why is it just cows and not dogs, cats or horses? There are several animals, including cows that belong to a family of animals called ruminants. Ruminants have four stomachs and they use their stomachs for digestion, unlike humans, that use our intestines to digest our food. The stomachs in these creatures are filled with bacteria that help aid in the digestion process, but also produce the icky gas called methane.
So, what can we do? Well, there are several solutions to the cow=methane problem.
1. Many farmers are trapping the methane that is produced by the manure that their cows are producing and converting it back into energy i.e. electricity! They are then selling the electricity back to the power utility’s grid! Brilliant! What an ingenious way to turn crap into something useful and good for the environment.
2. There is also a study being conducted by Welsh scientists that believe that by adding garlic to your cow’s diet you can reduce their methane production. Hmmm…perhaps adding pizza to your livestock’s diet could indeed aid in the lessening of the methane production of your farm. The study is still on going, however early results do indeed indicated that garlic will cut down a cows flatulence in half. Huh? Who knew?
3. Cut back on your meat consumption. I know that it will continue to keep those “happy cows” in California happy!
We know that the greenhouse emissions have grown due to humans and well…cows; we need to do our part to reduce them. I’m sure that planet will survive, however we as a species may not be able to survive on an overheated planet.
Keeping it real ~
Wind
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