3 ms·

This UN site says 5% of actual CO2 and 14% of CO2-equivalent emissions. Cow and pig production emit mostly methane and nitrogen oxide. http://www.fao.org/news/

This UN site says 5% of actual CO2 and 14% of CO2-equivalent emissions. Cow and pig production emit mostly methane and nitrogen oxide. http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode/ http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode/

retrac98 10y ago
Doesn't methane have a much more powerful greenhouse effect than CO2 though?
- amatix 10y ago
  Yeah, that's how the 5% becomes 14% equivalent in @jessriedel's numbers.
- yrro 10y ago
  Yes but it breaks down into CO2 very quickly.
flukus 10y ago
Pigs are actually a lot better than cows because they are monogastric. So we can cut CO2 emissions by eating more pork and less beef. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruminant#Ruminants_and_climate_change https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruminant#Ruminants_and_climate...
- spangry 10y ago
  Even better, kangaroos (I know, I know, poor skippy...). Their digestive systems don't produce methane: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo#Absence_of_digestive_methane_release https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo#Absence_of_digestive_... And I'm less sure of this, but I've heard that they cause far less soil erosion compared to cows, as their weight is spread out over a much larger area (i.e. they have big feet). Their populations in some parts of Australia have also reached unsustainable starvation levels, to the point where some State-level governments have initiated culling (i.e. licensed shooting of kangaroos, in a country with very tight gun-control laws).
- doofus3 10y ago
  Or how about not eating animals at all, since it's cruel and unnecessary altogether? Difficult mental and emotional leap for most people, I know.
  - wiz21z 10y ago
    Or at least, we should teach butchery to kids. That way, they'd know what it means to actually kill to eat. The only thing I've ever killed is a lobster, and it helps a lot to relate to what you have on your plate...
  - flukus 10y ago
    How about dropping the holier than thou attitude. I'm going to skip my vegetarian lunch today, just to spite you.

retrac98 10y ago

Doesn't methane have a much more powerful greenhouse effect than CO2 though?

amatix 10y ago
Yeah, that's how the 5% becomes 14% equivalent in @jessriedel's numbers.
yrro 10y ago
Yes but it breaks down into CO2 very quickly.

flukus 10y ago

Pigs are actually a lot better than cows because they are monogastric. So we can cut CO2 emissions by eating more pork and less beef. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruminant#Ruminants_and_climate_change https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruminant#Ruminants_and_climate...

spangry 10y ago
Even better, kangaroos (I know, I know, poor skippy...). Their digestive systems don't produce methane: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo#Absence_of_digestive_methane_release https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo#Absence_of_digestive_... And I'm less sure of this, but I've heard that they cause far less soil erosion compared to cows, as their weight is spread out over a much larger area (i.e. they have big feet). Their populations in some parts of Australia have also reached unsustainable starvation levels, to the point where some State-level governments have initiated culling (i.e. licensed shooting of kangaroos, in a country with very tight gun-control laws).
doofus3 10y ago
Or how about not eating animals at all, since it's cruel and unnecessary altogether? Difficult mental and emotional leap for most people, I know.
- wiz21z 10y ago
  Or at least, we should teach butchery to kids. That way, they'd know what it means to actually kill to eat. The only thing I've ever killed is a lobster, and it helps a lot to relate to what you have on your plate...
- flukus 10y ago
  How about dropping the holier than thou attitude. I'm going to skip my vegetarian lunch today, just to spite you.