New Zealand scientists cure cow flatulence

Methane's longstanding menace as a climate-altering greenhouse gas is closer than ever to being controlled, said New Zealand scientists in June after genome-mapping found the source of flatulence in ruminant animals, and the researchers said they thought they could vaccinate against it. While livestock accounts for only 2 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas, it causes over half of New Zealand's. Unless the vaccination is successful, farmers will face a huge tax on methane by 2012 brought on by the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. [Daily Telegraph (London), 6-5-08]

HALF the greenhouse gas in New Zealand is cow farts???

... cow ... farmers will face a huge tax on methane by 2012 brought on by the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. [Daily Telegraph (London), 6-5-08]

HALF the greenhouse gas in New Zealand is cow farts???

I'm sure one of our favorite posters who says he's from NZ (but he's certainly American) should know.

Well Kyoto sure spells the end of the cow, I guess.

[Aunty]

I'm from England actually, arnold, and I live in Bangkok. Got it.

[Aunty]

HALF the greenhouse gas in New Zealand is cow farts???

Well they don't call us the Saudi Arabia of milk for nothing!

[Aunty]

How about some facts for what is really such a boring subject!

New ZealandтАЩs greenhouse gas emissions
The MinistryтАЩs latest report on New ZealandтАЩs greenhouse gas emissions shows that emissions for 2005 were 77.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (Mt CO2-e), a 24.7 per cent over the 1990 level.

New Zealand is unusual amongst developed nations in the share of its total greenhouse gas emissions that comes from agriculture. Nearly half of New Zealand's total emissions are produced by agriculture, predominantly methane from farm animals and nitrous oxide from soils and fertilisers. According to estimates in New Zealand's Greenhouse Gas Inventory: 1990-2005, these agricultural emissions are 15 per cent above 1990 levels.

However, the principal growth in New Zealand's emissions comes from increased carbon dioxide (CO2), primarily from the energy sector which has grown by almost 42 per cent relative to its emissions in 1990. Most of this increase has come from transport (65% increase in emissions) and electricity generation (a 135% increase in emissions. About two thirds of New Zealand's electricity production comes from hydro power stations, but there has been an increasing proportion of fossil fuelled electricity generation, initially from Maui gas and increasingly from coal. This means that electricity sector emissions are growing at a rapid rate.

Another unique characteristic of New Zealand's greenhouse footprint is its forest sinks. New Zealand's plentiful forests, including the planting of a great number of post-1990 pinus radiata forests, mean that it can expect to absorb around 57 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period (2008 to 2012). However, this should not give rise to complacency as forest plantings since 1990 have been falling steadily over the past decade..........................................


3. In 2005 the agriculture sector contributed 48.5 per cent to the total emissions. The energy sector contributed 43.4 per cent. The balance of emissions was made up by industrial processes (5.6 per cent), waste (2.4 per cent) and solvents (0.1 per cent).

4. The largest single source of emissions in 2005 was from methane from enteric fermentation of ruminant animals (31.0 per cent of the total emissions). Carbon dioxide from road transport was the next biggest source contributing 16.4 per cent of total emissions (total transport is 18.4 per cent of total emissions).

http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/climate/g ... index.html

On and by the way, the burps are more important than the farts!

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

Methane's longstanding menace as a climate-altering greenhouse gas is closer than ever to being controlled, said New Zealand scientists in June after genome-mapping found the source of flatulence in ruminant animals, and the researchers said they thought they could vaccinate against it. While livestock accounts for only 2 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas, it causes over half of New Zealand's. Unless the vaccination is successful, farmers will face a huge tax on methane by 2012 brought on by the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. [Daily Telegraph (London), 6-5-08]

HALF the greenhouse gas in New Zealand is cow farts???

great stuff...now they can start on Homintern.

[Bob]

great stuff...now they can start on Homintern.

Given the huge quantities of methane inhaled by Homi while engaging in his regular weight-guessing activities (millions of thai boys sitting on his face), I understand BP has sought governmental licensing to drill Homi to extract the gas. Just think, our own Homi helping break OPEC's grip on the world's energy supply!

P.S. Don't worry, Homi, BP promised to use a condom on its exploratory drill (and to give you a kiss on the cheek before first diving in).

[Brad the Impala]

I'm from England actually, arnold, and I live in Bangkok. Got it.

Which will be why you give your location in your profile as Auckland, New Zealand.

Smart move!

Boring, but marginally less so than Smiles' constant yapping.

As a mainly non-beef-eating country, Thailand's farting cows are relatively few - unlike, of course, the home of the mega-burger.

A 400-page UN report by the Food and Agricultural Organisation, entitled Livestock's Long Shadow, also surveys the damage done by sheep, chickens, pigs and goats. But in almost every case, the world's 1.5 billion cattle are most to blame. Livestock are responsible for 18 per cent of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together.

Burning fuel to produce fertiliser to grow feed, to produce meat and to transport it - and clearing vegetation for grazing - produces 9 per cent of all emissions of carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas. And their wind and manure emit more than one third of emissions of another, methane, which warms the world 20 times faster than carbon dioxide.

Livestock also produces more than 100 other polluting gases, including more than two-thirds of the world's emissions of ammonia, one of the main causes of acid rain