Cows and global warming

[FinallyRetired]

By burping, belching and excreting copious amounts of methane - a greenhouse gas that traps 20 times more heat than carbon dioxide - India's livestock of roughly 485 million (including sheep and goats) contribute more to global warming than the vehicles they obstruct.

Cows With Gas: India's Contribution to Global Warming

 

[TromboneAl]

The Washington Independent » Of Cardboard and Cow Farts

 

[ls99]

The solar cooker "new invention" by Bøhmer has been around for a long time. The Mother Earth News had versions of it in the seventies.

As for bovine gas emissions, how about a balloon affixed to each of their rear ends, then recycle the methane.

Or eliminate ruminants. Presto, no more greenhouse gas problems.

 

[bbbamI]

Good luck with trying to get cattle not to belch or fart....

 

[ERD50]

Good luck with trying to get cattle not to belch or fart....

Actually....

some researchers were developing a grass (or maybe bacteria for the cow's stomach? - don't recall offhand), that would reduce the methane production of ruminants by some large degree.

Probably GMO, people will get upset

edit - ahh, here is a link (complete with picture, for those who wouldn't know a ruminant if it moo'd at them ):

reduce methane ruminants - Google Search
INRA - Reducing production, methane by ruminants

INRA researchers have shown that it is possible to achieve an average 30% reduction in the production of methane (CH4) by adding plant oils containing high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids to the diet of dairy cows. In Europe, agricultural emissions of this greenhouse gas mainly arise from livestock farming.

-ERD50

 

[REWahoo]

Bovine "Beano"...

 

[ziggy29]

This thread is getting udderly ridiculous, but I'm sure y'all will milk it for all it's worth. I don't really have a beef with that.

 

[ls99]

Good luck with trying to get cattle not to belch or fart....

Geez, where is Miss Manners when you need her?

 

[bbbamI]

Yippee-i-ay - Cow Patti!
Yippee-i-ay - Cow Patti!
She rode into town to find the man that killed her daddy!
Yippee-i-ay - Cow Patti!

Jim Stafford

 

[growing_older]

Why not put the cows in large (very large) glass houses, so they can see out and all their favorite grasses will grow just fine inside. Then rig up a gas collection system to extract the methane and other combustible gasses that are causing the problem. Sell off the gas as fuel instead of letting it into the atmosphere and you have a new cash crop for the farm. Not to mention a better explanation for why they are called greenhouse gasses.

 

[HFWR]

If "cows" are a problem, may I suggest we have the mother of all cookouts...