Monday, July 14, 2008

Cows Are Not Green, Neither Are Pigs

While some are trying to find ways to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions from energy production plants and cars, others are studying farming emissions, or more bluntly put: cow farts to help reduce the methane – another greenhouse gas. The greenhouse gas emissions are not coming only from passenger cars and factories but also from other sources. When I read an article in The Telegraph, I thought, at first that it was a joke and seemed to be funny. But it is real! Scientists are collecting cow farts in plastic tanks attached in the back of the cows to help combat the global warming. What a job! In Argentina, it was found that the methane from cows is responsible for about 30% of the country's total greenhouse emissions. Another group of scientists are studying the gas emissions in the swine industry. However, the Australian scientists seem to be on their way to resolve the problem by using the eco-friendly kangaroo farts to combat the global warming.

Well…it is kind of funny to find out that cows and swine are ruining our atmosphere. And a picture tells a thousand words. But seriously, it's interesting to see that creative solutions that look at the problem in a holistic way may find creative ways at solving the greenhouse gas problem by looking right under our nose (ahem!!) for solutions.

There was another NPR program recently that talked about pig farms and new breeds that produce less methane (but I can't find the link -- anyone has more details?)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't wait for the cross breed pig-kangaroo; in the meantime I wonder why this article has been published in the IT Wire magazine... are computer going to be powered by fart cells?

Anonymous said...

yep, it looks like the animals are destroying our atmosphere. In the past New Zealand tried to impose a "flatulence tax" to farmers - without success but their scientists now claim to have developed a "flatulence inoculation". So, finally, a vaccine against flatulent emissions!

Anonymous said...

Wow.....these people are really wacked out.....the earth has survived millions of years with animals farting, now its a problem? America had 300 million Bison roaming the country for thousands of years farting and the earth survived. WACKOS