3 ms·
Methane has reached a steady state. However, if CO2 lasts 100 years, and methane -> CO2 takes 9 years, only in 2079 will we have equilibrium. Right now 1billio
by totoglazer 8y ago
Methane has reached a steady state. However, if CO2 lasts 100 years, and methane -> CO2 takes 9 years, only in 2079 will we have equilibrium.
Right now 1billion cows are producing greenhouse gases, but <<1b cows worth of greenhouse gases generated in 1918 are "expiring."
- beat 8y agoWell, yeah. How many cattle did we have then? The numbers I found go back to 1960, which was about 750M. Has it doubled in the last century, or quadrupled? Either way, though, it doesn't seem the problem is getting worse, at least. The question is, can we make it better? Can we reduce the level of greenhouse gasses related to cattle, short of just reducing the number of cattle, which seems more like wishful thinking than a plan. My thought from earlier is to act to reduce the amount of corn-feeding and encourage pasture feeding, which takes external carbon (fuel and fertilizer from corn farming) out of the equation. Grazing cattle are typically raised on land that isn't useful for more lucrative farming, living on wild pasture or scrub.