Are global warming concerns starting to go off the deep end?

Question

I have read studies that some "scientists" claim that belching and farting cattle are a major contributor towards global warming.

Does this sound as crazy to you as it does to me?

Additional reading: Read "The Emperor's New Clothes" here: http://hca.gilead.org.il/emperor.html

A lot of environmentalists are trying to sell new clothes!

Answer 1

I don't see anything crazy here. Guess who are the ones raising the cattle? Humans of course for all the various purposes they provide.

Answer 2

I think there should be a different term for environmentalist vs. Global Warmingist.  I consider myself an environmentalist but do not buy into the theory of greenhouse gases causing the warming of our planet.  I also don't think the sky is falling but someone will give me a thumbs down anyway.

Answer 3

While this may sound odd to someone that's never been around farms or studied the science, it's actually valid.  Methane is 23 times as powerful of a greenhouse gas as CO2 and it does come from livestock gastrointestinal processes.  Cows and sheep have actually been studied and had their methane output measured.

Some farms are actually "recycling" the methane and setting up their own energy generation facilities.

Answer 4

You're not quite right.

According to the World Resources Institute, livestock and manure only account for 5.1% of worldwide anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

http://cait.wri.org/figures.php?page=Wor...

However, when you take into account other factors, such as land use change (cutting down trees for large areas of pasture land needed for cattle grazing), the total figure rises to 18% of man-made greenhouse gas emissions (they count as man-made because we're raising the cattle for our consumption).

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

So the cow belching and manure (not farting) are not terribly significant (though certainly not insignificant due to the fact that methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than CO2), but when all factors are taken into account, raising livestock is a very significant contributor to global warming.

Answer 5

Sure who needs that pesky survival anyway.

Answer 6

What you are saying is the you know nothing about biology, chemistry, or climatology, but you know a lot more about them than the scientists who have PHDs in them.  You're so smart!

Answer 7

Why is it crazy? Methane has about 30 times the absorptive capacity of carbon dioxide.

Answer 8

No, but the hysterics of the global warming deniers are starting to get strident to the point of absurdity, I guess now that science and logic long left them in the dust...hysterics and name calling is their only weapon left?

http://illconsidered.blogspot.com/2006/0...

Answer 9

a way to get rich like Al ( looser ) Gore

Answer 10

Starting to go off the deep end?  The first time I heard of that was in university, twenty years ago.  It is nothing new.