Agent009
Agent009
"I sincerely thank you for the warning. Now I'm off to sharpen my pitchfork."
View My AgentSpace

Print this Page | Digg It | del.icio.us

Perspective Shift: Do Cows Pollute As Much As Cars?
Agriculture is responsible for an estimated 14 percent of the world's greenhouse gases. A significant portion of these emissions come from methane, which, in terms of its contribution to global warming, is 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. The U.S. Food and Agriculture Organization says that agricultural methane output could increase by 60 percent by 2030 [Source: Times Online]. The world's 1.5 billion cows and billions of other grazing animals emit dozens of polluting gases, including lots of methane. Two-thirds of all ammonia comes from cows.

Cows emit a massive amount of methane through belching, with a lesser amount through flatulence. Statistics vary regarding how much methane the average dairy cow expels. Some experts say 100 liters to 200 liters a day (or about 26 gallons to about 53 gallons), while others say it's up to 500 liters (about 132 gallons) a day. In any case, that's a lot of methane, an amount comparable to the pollution produced by a car in a day.

Read Article
Perspective Shift: Do Cows Pollute As Much As Cars?



Comments:

Images hosted in your AgentSpace can now be posted in the comments section using the following syntax (case matters):
[img]IMAGE URL[/img]
Example: [img]http://agent004.myautospies.com/users/150/Sample-Gallery/sample1.JPG[/img]
M35MTM35MT - 7/17/2007 2:19:43 PMView My AgentSpace
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
mmm...yes they do...what kind of emissions does my grill release when I cook beef?

1.5 billion cows - is that more than cars on earth? That would mean they DO polute more.

You see? It's the vegetarian "green" people that are perpetuating global warming - they dont eat any beef!

reply to this comment
Audi4LifeAudi4Life - 7/17/2007 4:24:50 PM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
emm the pollution that the car produces doesnt directly affect you but the cows waste especially if u step in it is just...speechless. however cows are eco-friendly, cars need 2 work on emissions inorder to compare them 2 cows

reply to this comment
M35MTM35MT - 7/18/2007 7:50:15 AMView My AgentSpace
+2 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
Kobe beef costs so much because they actually massage the cows muscles to make the meat more tender.

Yum

reply to this comment
EnnNorakEnnNorak - 7/18/2007 11:48:54 AM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
By the way M35MT, I was treated to real Kobe beef in Japan and it's absolutely great. The science involved here is that cows fart methane just like humans. methane is a very potent greenhouse gas. It is several dozen times more potent than CO2 although CO2 contributes more to global warming because there is more of it.

What people are generally not aware of is that water vapor in the Atmosphere is responsible for much more global warming than CO2 but politicians find it eay to attack the auto industry and blame it rather han other producers of CO2. Eventually, plug-in hybrids will simply shift the automotive CO2 poblem to electricity producers and the politician will claim that they did something about auto pollution.

Another thing people don't generally undestand is the way greenhose gases work. The Sun is much hotter than the Earth and therefore radiates heat at shorter wavelengths. The Earth radiates its heat back into space at longer wavelengths. Greenhouse gases absorb the longer-wave radiation better than the shorter-wave radiation and radiate some of the heat back toward the Earth thereby partially defating the Earth's attempt to radiate excess heat back into space.

Excess green house gases in the atmosphere act the same way as a one-way
mirror would act always reflecting a large fraction of back toward Earth that would otherwise escape into space.

reply to this comment
To post a comment for this story, you must first Login.

If you do not have an account, you will need to Register (It's Free!).

Most Recent Stories
2010 Chevrolet Camaro OFFICIAL Pictures - The Wait is ALMOST Over!New Photos BMW 3 Series Touring2009 BMW 6-Series with New Sport Package2009 Maserati Quattroporte S - First DriveFirst Video Of The 2009 BMW 3-SeriesNew M3 Convertible: A disappointment? Audi R8: GT3 spec race car up for saleHonda Releases Civic Type S Fireblade ReplicaIncredible Mercedes SLR McLaren crash in QatarLeaked memo: 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX to get 265 horsepowerThe VW Up! could be changed front-wheel-driveExclusive iPhone Pouch Premiers At Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin First Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Delivered in USElfin’s Caterham Bashing ‘Type 5’100% Electric Mitsubishi i MiEV Confirmed in 2009BMW M3 vs. BMW 335iAudi RS5: Will it look like this?New BMW 7 And Mercedes S-Class Side By Side: S-Class Still The King?French Auto Spies Get Nabbed By Authorities-So Much For Freedom Of The Press?$27 Million Jaguar XJ13 Le Mans Race Car to Run at Bradford Classic Jaguar Tops J D Power CSI Study For Second Year In a RowThe First Crash of a Maserati GranTurismo (pics)GM dealers buy $1 million in GM stockCadillac CTS coupe and wagon to be produced in LansingSpy Shots: Mercedes SLR McLaren Speedster hits the NurburgringThis Just In: Not All HUMMER Owners Gas-Guzzling Jerks2008 Toyota RAV4 SR180 On Sale UK2009 Infiniti FX50 vs 2009 BMW X6 xDrive50i Subaru WRX STi Spec C - Spy ShotsThe Top 5 Most Beautifully Designed Cars from the Designer of the CenturyThe 2009 Honda Fit and the New American Way2009 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Suv Unveiled at Moscow Show2008 Nissan Micra 25 Special EditionIs there an uglier pick truck made anywhere?Spy Shots: 2010 Acura NSX interiorMercedes boss confirms full turbocharged lineup within 3 yearsVideo: Porsche’s PDK Gearbox, how it worksBMW's X5 hybrid spied in USMercedes Benz Top QualityTh!nk Ox Electric-car could arrive in 2011New Verso caught undergoing testing by ToyotaSpy shots of the Mercedes-Benz R-ClassSpy shots of the Mercedes SLK with a panoramic glass roofVW's choice eases Chattanooga's past auto snubsKia VGTransSyberia Rally Update-Stage 6 and Stage 5 Video-Brits Lose Cayenne to FireOfficial 2009 BMW 3-Series Details and SpecsNew Images: More 2009 Ferrari California picsNew Mastretta MXT - for the Thrill SeekerOver 100 photos and video of the new SL65 AMG Black Series