Australian scientists have devised a plan to reduce greenhouse gases in the continent down under.
In the past, farting cows and sheep have been blamed for most of the methane emissions that have helped take Australia to the top of the world's carbon footprint league table. Around 12 per cent of the country's total greenhouse gas emissions originate with agriculture, and 70 per cent of that amount is made up of methane, which has 17 times the environmental warming capacity of carbon dioxide.
But wait. Hold on. The real culprit here is not farting bovines but belching cloven toed critters.
A high percentage (90%) of the farm animal produced methane comes from the rumen that is belched out, not passed out from the southern end of a northbound cow or sheep.
Scientists are now intent on producing a non-burping sheep to help stem the tide of global warming. Sounds silly? Not really.
Sheep produce approximately 15 pounds of methane per year; cows ten times that number.
London Times
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Comments: 7
Interesting. I'd heard that bovines were the culprits and that methane is a particularly powerful green house gas, but never realized that it was burping.
After more years of being around cattle than most of you have lived, I have yet to hear a cattle beast belch!
cowboss http://cowbossatwscc.blogspot.com/