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Specifically with respect to the methane cow farts, yes. That carbon comes from their plant diet (be it grass in a field or grain in a feeding lot), and the c

Specifically with respect to the methane cow farts, yes. That carbon comes from their plant diet (be it grass in a field or grain in a feeding lot), and the carbon in those plants came from the atmosphere. This isn't counting the fossil fuels the industry also burns, or the carbon released during the production of fertilizers used when growing that feed. But the carbon in the feed itself all comes from the atmosphere, and therefore the carbon in the methane emitted by cows comes from the atmosphere.

fortysixdegrees 3y ago
Yea but grass doesn't grown on methane
- xigoi 3y ago
  > Methane naturally turns into CO2 in the atmosphere.
bandyaboot 3y ago
The argument I’ve heard is that with more demand for meat comes more clearing of forested land that’s turned into pasture. So instead of storing atmospheric carbon long term in trees, you take much of the carbon absorbed by the grass and release it right back.
bobbylarrybobby 3y ago
On the one hand yes, on the other hand the immense amount of land set aside to produce cow feed could be used to produce much more human food, and the extra land could be used to plant forests.
upsidesinclude 3y ago
What about when seaweed is added to the feed which reduces methane emmission by 70%? The numbers that go into these approximations are not reliable and that's the problem with trying to have some exacting figure 20-28 and use that to create policy. Which is why we can know that it is just about creating policy.
- stametseater 3y ago
  Seaweed in a cows diet either: increases the CO2 the cow emits, increases the mass of carbon the cow shits, or increases the mass of the cow. The carbon has to go somewhere. I don't know where it goes, but regardless of where it goes, there's no doubt about where it came from to begin with. Virtually all the carbon cows eat was pulled out of the atmosphere by plants.
  - upsidesinclude 3y ago
    Do you have a point? I have missed it.

fortysixdegrees 3y ago

Yea but grass doesn't grown on methane

xigoi 3y ago
> Methane naturally turns into CO2 in the atmosphere.

bandyaboot 3y ago

The argument I’ve heard is that with more demand for meat comes more clearing of forested land that’s turned into pasture. So instead of storing atmospheric carbon long term in trees, you take much of the carbon absorbed by the grass and release it right back.

bobbylarrybobby 3y ago

On the one hand yes, on the other hand the immense amount of land set aside to produce cow feed could be used to produce much more human food, and the extra land could be used to plant forests.

upsidesinclude 3y ago

What about when seaweed is added to the feed which reduces methane emmission by 70%? The numbers that go into these approximations are not reliable and that's the problem with trying to have some exacting figure 20-28 and use that to create policy. Which is why we can know that it is just about creating policy.

stametseater 3y ago
Seaweed in a cows diet either: increases the CO2 the cow emits, increases the mass of carbon the cow shits, or increases the mass of the cow. The carbon has to go somewhere. I don't know where it goes, but regardless of where it goes, there's no doubt about where it came from to begin with. Virtually all the carbon cows eat was pulled out of the atmosphere by plants.
- upsidesinclude 3y ago
  Do you have a point? I have missed it.