Let's Blame the Cows

Some scientists estimate that more greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere by cows and other farm animals than vehicles in California.  The greenhouse gas that cows emit is methane and is released by burping and bovine flatulence.  Methane is 24 times more damaging than equal amount of carbon dioxide in terms of climate change contribution.  The cow-methane effect has led to the statement that we should all become vegetarians to combat global warming.

Scientists are working on the problem by finding ways to treat food to prevent it getting turned into methane.  Inventors are inventing ways to trap methane leaving the cow and also to turn cow manure into energy.  It is safe to say that this problem will be well in hand in the coming years.

We can still blame the cows however.  One of many major reasons for rainforest destruction is to create farmland for cow production.  As we all know, the rainforests are the lungs of the earth.  An alarming amount of rainforest is cleared every year and will ultimately lead to the downfall of the human race (and most other species).

Of course we can't blame the cows for greenhouse gas emissions but we have a tendency to blame developing countries for levelling their own forests.  Really, it is you and I (in the developed world) who should be blamed.  If there was no demand for inexpensive cow meat then there would be no producers and much less rainforest clearing to produce the farms.

So next time you bite into a juicy steak remember that you are contributing to global warming.