Quote:
Originally Posted by Kerplunk
First, just targeting CO2 emissions will probably do more harm than good, since there are other contributing gases that probably should go with it (don't remember which though).
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Quite true. Methane is barely given a mention during the global warming debate even though methane is 25% more powerful than CO2 at trapping gasses.
The sources of methane are (by order of magnitude):
- organics decaying at landfills (1/4 of methane produced) - solution: mass composting programs similar to Halifax. No organics should be going to the landfill; they should all be composted and recycled back into the soil. At the very least, the methane should be collected off the landfills and burned for energy. Yes, it creates CO2, but as stated above, methane is far worse.
- Natural gas (1/5th of methane produced) - solution: Reduce use of natural gas. Same as reducing gas and oil use to reduce CO2, we need to find alternative energy sources.
- Enteric Fermentation (cow farts - 1/5th of methane produced) - solution: less cows. Cows have multiple stomaches and a complex digestive system built for hard-to-digest matter like grass.. but the byproduct of his digestive system is a lot of gas. I became a vegetarian over 15 years ago, not for health reasons, not for animal rights reasons, but because I knew methane was a greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. The data was clear then. It's much clearer now. A reduction in beef consumption is very important to fighting global warming.
- Coal mining, animal manure decomposition, wastewater treatment produce most of the rest.
I don't mean to throw this thread off-topic, but you are correct that methane and nitrous oxide are being given a free ride from Kyoto. But that doesn't stop each of us from doing our part to reduce these other gases. I helped groups like the "It's Not Garbage" coallition push the municipal government to start the composting program in Halifax.
It's funny how all these things seem to go hand in hand to solve themselves. Where does nitrous oxide come from? Fertilizers used for agriculture. If we composted our organics rather than sending them to landfills what is produced? Fertilizers for agriculture.