carbon footprints

[petal]

Why is flying considered the worst way of increasing your carbon footprint? (We don't fly as a rule and go on joyous camping holidays but i am just being curious.)Also i heard that because we eat too much meat - these animals are contributing to greenhouse gases tenfold because they f..t a lot. .......

[Starchild]

Why is flying considered the worst way of increasing your carbon footprint? (We don't fly as a rule and go on joyous camping holidays but i am just being curious.)Also i heard that because we eat too much meat - these animals are contributing to greenhouse gases tenfold because they f..t a lot. .......

With flying it's the sheer amount of fuel aircraft use and the fact that many of them fly half empty. (plus there is no tax on aviation fuel) Also in these days of vide conferencing and the internet, why do so many businessmen insist on flying to business meetings?

Animals and greenhouse gases...well worms are worse. the nitrous oxide emitted from wormfarms is worse for the environment than the methane from a dairy farm. It's not just going veggie that is supposed to save the world, but going vegan. All that GMSoyua imports, excellent for the environment!
I had an arguement with a rabid vegan once who belived that meat eating should be banned under international law. When I pointed out that it would mean that the Sammi, Inuit and other people would starve, I was told "those comments are irrelevant to the debate" (eh???)

[Alison]

Problem with meat (which I eat by the way) is that many of us in the Western world seem to feel that we have a right to eat as much of the stuff as possible and don't realise that even what the think is locally produced might have been fed on grain which has been flown from pretty much anywhere. Also, there's all the question of the amount of water needed in comparison with the equivalent amount for crops and the area of field asscoiated per beast in comparison with crops edible by humans etc etc. It's all very complicated and even more difficult to see your way through all the layers!

The key thing that many people could do to make a HUGE difference without it having any negative effect on their life is to stop buying stuff they don't need, which they then just throw away without using / eating.

[Alice]

Maybe a bit off beam here but sometimes we have to get back to basics.
Why refer to humans as "Man".
Yes we all know it includes men, women and children - so what is wronng with the word people . It wasn't a dirty word the last time I checked, and makes it quite clear we are all involved.
And - I think I'm right here - but correct me if I'm wrong - as far as I know the biggest source of CO2 emissions is the gases given off from cows digestivve systems.
I don't think I dreamt that .

[Alison]

In a report entitled "Livestock's Long Shadow", dated Nov 2006, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of teh UN stated that the livestock sector accounts for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than transport, which emits 13.5%. However, this isn't all directly from the cattle itself, it's including for the transportation cost of food for the livestock as well as moving the meat itself. It further states that in terms of fossil fuel input, corn production is about 15 times more efficient that beef production. Continuing to waste energy by channelling so much into livestock production is unsustainable, and thought to be unjustifiable by many.

Although it doesn't specify (as far as I can tell) exactly the extent, what is clear from the report, is that livestock production is the main source of manmade methane emissions (not CO2) and that this methane (produced by the bacteria in the stomachs of sheep, cattle etc) is one of the main gases contributing to global warming.

Make of this what you will, but it certainly makes interesting reading.

[Alice]

Thanks for clarifying that Alison.

[Starchild]

Maybe a bit off beam here but sometimes we have to get back to basics.
Why refer to humans as "Man".

Man is actually a diminuation of the word human, scientifically. I had a couple of arguements with a few rabid (and I mean rabid wombyn) feminists over this. Using "Man" as a catch all is scientificaaly acceptable.

as far as I know the biggest source of CO2 emissions is the gases given off from cows digestivve systems.

Cows do not emit CO2 (except for breathing), it's methane. Worms emit Nitrous Oxide which is far more dangerous. Animal dung can be used for electricity generation, except NIMBY's don't want it.

[lynda66]

for clarification, methane breaks down into carbon dioxide and ozone

termites produce more methane than any other creature, including man ..... so if we kill all the termites and plant more trees, we'll be fine

# Termites produce more Carbon Dioxide (CO2) each year than all living things combined.


# Scientists have calculated that termites alone produce ten times as much carbon dioxide as all the fossil fuels burned in the whole world in a year.

Termite Detection Systems, Inc

personally, i don't have a car,don't use central heating, recycle glass, plastic, compost, paper, and tins, don't buy prepackaged food, unless its just in a bag, put everything i don't want any more on freecycle (even broken stuff, washers etc find a home) i'm more concerned with landfill than carbon emissions, cos in reality the world has always had periods of temperature fluctuations ..... and actually despite what the scare mongers tell us,parts of the world are actually cooling down

the gulf stream is cooling, which means eventually the uk will be like siberia, but thats ok i like snow

[Shortie]

so if we kill all the termites and plant more trees, we'll be fine

Lol, but seeing as they play a vital role in the decompostion of dead plant stuffs etc, I guess maybe we shouldn't

[HeyWayne]

The sea may produce more carbon dioxide than it ever has, but the sea is, or was until relatively recently a carbon sinc - acting like a giant sponge. The reason it has now started producing more carbon dioxide is due in part to the fact that it is now saturated with carbon, can take no more and due to rises in termperature and a growth in algae as a result.

Methane has a more detrimental effect on the ozone layer as I understand it, and whilst agriculture (mainly cows farting) plays a large part, the more worrying issue is that of the melting permafrost (again as a result of climate change, as a result of human behaviour as a result of "development"). Permafrost (basically decomposed organic matter - then frozen), which is melting at an increasing rate gives off massive amounts of methane as it thaws. The more that thaws, the more gas produced and so the cycle goes.

Once more and more glacial ice thaws as a result of the ever increasing global temperature so the seas heat up and generally it gets worse.

There are also theories regarding the (can't remember what, no wait...) Gulf Stream and the de-salination of the seas around it, but I can't remember the exact details.

Anyway, we should all stop farting for the sake of the planet.

Never mind carbon footprints, we should all mind our methane fartprints!

Edit: Just looked it up to make sure I wasn't talking out of my fart-hole and found this: TerraNature | Methane from melting Siberian permafrost

[Mikey]

A-ha heywayne, you can always be relied on to lighten the load. I do think that it may be possible we are closing the barn door after the horse has bolted scenario.

I would like to iterate, that I have a very good methane footprint based on the fact there are no sprouts on my plot...........yet.

[Shortie]

But Mikeywillis - do you have Jeruselem Fartichokes or Asparagus there instead? Or infact Parsnips. Mr Shortie swears by Parsnips for adding to the Methane levels

[Polly Fouracre]

Well we have a family of 6, burn coal and drive a 7 seater VW and have a lower carbon footprint than the average family of 4 who has central heating and a small car. Mind you, our electric bill is only £60 a quarter.
It's to do with the estimated amount of carbon you emit into the atmoshpere each year.
But there are flaws, there is no section for those who cook on rayburns, the choice is gas/oil/electric. I cook on coal/wood rayburn that also heats our water.

We also only put out 1 bag of rubbish a week, 2 only when we have a clear out.

We also cook on a Rayburn and burn mainly wood. This with a small woodburner in the sitting room also heats the house.(no central heating,just a well insulated loft and doors kept open.
Yes it is decidedly chilly upstairs in winter but this means no dogs want to be upstairs(though a whippet makes a lovely hot-water-bottle!) and I can remember bedrooms being so cold it was two to a bed and Jack Frost patterns on the windows! Who else can remember this?
In summer a small stick fire outside can boil a kettle or fry a breakfast.
Has anyone ever used a solar oven? All you need are two cardboard boxes,some tin-foil, a bit of blackboard paint and a sheet of glass(oh! and some sun!) and you can cook anything.

[Shortie]

Has anyone ever used a solar oven? All you need are two cardboard boxes,some tin-foil, a bit of blackboard paint and a sheet of glass(oh! and some sun!) and you can cook anything.

Never used one, but I've seen instructions how to make one on SS-ish... Have you used one and if so was it any good? Say I wanted to cook bacon or an egg, how quick qould it be? Also, what about in the winter you get sun granted, but surely the cold air would stop it heating up to cook anything?

[Headfry]

Carbon footprint, re-cycle your rubbish, this in that bin, that in this bin.........
Is it all meant to keep us occupied, reprimanded if we get it wrong -so we don't see the real big issues that they don't want us to notice! you know the ones that cost governments money to correct!
Just a thought.

I recycle all that I can, I watch what I buy, eat plot veg - in season, ok I eat bananas etc, I do try very hard to help our world safe. Just can't help thinking the above though.