Humans cause climate change, US body accepts

[Schrödinger's Cat]

Humans cause climate change, US body accepts
08 August 2008

AS THE Bush administration enters its final months, the US Climate Change Science Program has issued a report concluding that computer models do effectively simulate climate. It also accepts that the models show human activity was responsible for the rapid warming of the 20th century.


The report is the 10th of 21 due to be issued by the body, which the sceptical Bush administration set up late in 2002 to review the validity of climate-change science before making policy decisions. At the time, environmentalists accused the administration of using the programme as a way to drag its feet on the issue.


"The evidence is pretty convincing that the models give a good simulation of climate," lead author David Bader of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California told reporters last week. He concedes that the report did not examine predictions of future climate change. Nor did it address policy issues, which will be left to the next administration.

Humans cause climate change, US body accepts - earth - 08 August 2008 - New Scientist Environment

[Sir John]

Hell I remember them trying to blame it on cow farts. Stats are only as good as the
scientists intentions

[HughRuss]

Originally Posted by Sir John

Hell I remember them trying to blame it on cow farts. Stats are only as good as the
scientists intentions

Which is a gross oversimplification.
Forest clearing to raise hundreds of thousands of cattle which emit methane gas both in flatulence and feces contributes to the methane problem (which, in itself, contributes to climate shift).
What also contributes to methane production is human waste. I don't just mean flatulence and excretion, I mean the waste we toss out every year. Dumps are the biggest producers of methane; much larger than cattle farts.

The idea was that taking away resources which help clear the air to raise resources that help pollute the air was (and still is) bad.

[Sir John]

Well no more blue angels for me.

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by Sir John

Hell I remember them trying to blame it on cow farts. Stats are only as good as the
scientists intentions

Still are because it is a big pollutant that they can no longer ignore.

UN says eat less meat to curb global warming | Environment | The Observer

UN says eat less meat to curb global warming
Sunday September 7 2008

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation has estimated that meat production accounts for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. These are generated during the production of animal feeds, for example, while ruminants, particularly cows, emit methane, which is 23 times more effective as a global warming agent than carbon dioxide. The agency has also warned that meat consumption is set to double by the middle of the century.

...

Last year a major report into the environmental impact of meat eating by the Food Climate Research Network at Surrey University claimed livestock generated 8 per cent of UK emissions - but eating some meat was good for the planet because some habitats benefited from grazing. It also said vegetarian diets that included lots of milk, butter and cheese would probably not noticeably reduce emissions because dairy cows are a major source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas released through flatulence.

[thatguyoverthere]

You do know that they're not talking about wild cows, but domesticated livestock bred, kept and raised by humans, as Hugh Russ pointed out?

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by thatguyoverthere

You do know that they're not talking about wild cows, but domesticated livestock bred, kept and raised by humans, as Hugh Russ pointed out?

Of course. I don't see how that effects the point made in any way regardless.

Meet the world's top destroyer of the environment. It is not the car, or the plane,or even George Bush: it is the cow.

A United Nations report has identified the world's rapidly growing herds of cattle as the greatest threat to the climate, forests and wildlife. And they are blamed for a host of other environmental crimes, from acid rain to the introduction of alien species, from producing deserts to creating dead zones in the oceans, from poisoning rivers and drinking water to destroying coral reefs.

The 400-page 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.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environ...rs-427843.html

The reality is livestock has a greater impact on our environment than the CO2 in the vehicles we drive. We're constantly guilted about driving SUVs, yet nobody seems to want to discuss the livestock issue because it's not man-made CO2.

[HughRuss]

Well, you can't take away one and expect the other to stop with greenhouse emissions, too. The point, again, is that there are a myriad of facets causing the breakdown of O3 in the atmosphere.
We are guilted about our cars because it's one thing about our everyday life that we can change (in driving less, a better gas-mileage car, or even switching to Natural Gas).
The clearing of forest (or land) to raise cattle is still a major problem, but as I pointed out as well, so are our dumps. We can control driving, we can control our waste output (that is, not throwing so much shit away). But we can't control the raising of cattle --even though Ron White wants to believe we can (that is, he's "eating the cow").
Voraciously consuming the cattle doesn't help the problem but hurt it, as per the fundamentals of supply and demand. As long as demand is going strong, supply is going to continue to produce more. I'm not advocating to stop eating cattle, because, gosh I love hamburgers (and sirloin steak, and London broil), nor am I saying that boycotting the industry is going to help. I'm just pointing out factors that contribute in big ways to the climate shift (because, honestly, I don't know how to fix the situation, even if everybody put on their will-power pants and walked the boycott path).

[Heres Johnny]

I certainly hope the cow fart theory isn't true, The Big Mac is one of the basic food groups. Maybe it's a conspiracy by the chicken industry? Maybe I'd better take that back. Has anybody ever rolled down their window while driving through Modesto?
whhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeew!

[WickedLou9]

Originally Posted by Heres Johnny

I certainly hope the cow fart theory isn't true, The Big Mac is one of the basic food groups. Maybe it's a conspiracy by the chicken industry? Maybe I'd better take that back. Has anybody ever rolled down their window while driving through Modesto?
whhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeew!

cow farts are methane. Methane is a green house gas. There are ALOT of cows on this planet. It is actually true.

[HughRuss]

Do chickens fart?

[Angus_Aboot]

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

cow farts are methane. Methane is a green house gas. There are ALOT of cows on this planet. It is actually true.

On the upside methane recovery systems can harvest the methane and produce energy. I was once an intern for a company that developed some, now if I could develop one to put in my bathroom I could get off the power grid.

http://web2.msue.msu.edu/manure/Fina...nFactsheet.pdf

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by Angus_Aboot

On the upside methane recovery systems can harvest the methane and produce energy. I was once an intern for a company that developed some, now if I could develop one to put in my bathroom I could get off the power grid.

http://web2.msue.msu.edu/manure/Fina...nFactsheet.pdf

I've read about this. They also trap the gas from landfills and use it for energy.

[Heres Johnny]

Can't we just attach catylitic Converters to each cow's bum? After the cow is slaughtered, the convert could be laced on a new cow.... renewable energy!

[WickedLou9]

Originally Posted by JaJae

I've read about this. They also trap the gas from landfills and use it for energy.

My father worked a bit on the deer island project in Boston Harbor. If I remember correctly the waste treatment plant on the island is powered by the gas that it traps in the giant egg shaped "digestors". it runs on poo!

Deer Island Waste Water Treatment Plant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[HughRuss]

I watched something on the science channel about that. But, they buried the landfill and put some pipes into the ground to collect the methane gas, from there they shipped it to a converter station or something along those lines. I thought it was quite a good idea, but I just caught the last part of it, so I don't really have details on it :/

[Heres Johnny]

isn't cool that they're even contemplating methane as a resource. That's pretty
cool. it they put it off, I'm investing in Taco Bell!

[AVengeance]

Originally Posted by JaJae

Still are because it is a big pollutant that they can no longer ignore.

UN says eat less meat to curb global warming | Environment | The Observer

The Bible predicts men will make laws telling people to abstain from eating meats.

Wonder how far off we are, there.

[Heres Johnny]

I'm enacting my right to the 2nd Amendment if they try to drive a wedge between me and my BigMac!