The deforestation effects of this are why I've been
advocating, in another
context, establishing prizes for iguana recipes and
cookbooks, hoping to start a
world-wide fad in favor of iguana meat. This would boost
the prices on
iguana and the returns on the raising of iguana, relative to
beef.
That would reverse some of the tide, in the Amazon and
elsewhere, where
slash-&-burn clearing of grazing lands which in a few
years become desert, has
wiped out so much of the rain forest. Iguana require a
forest habitat instead of
grazing lands. The same people now burning down the forests
would be
replanting them in order to ranch iguana.
That probably does not do all that much to help the CO and
methane
situations directly, but by sparing the forests it could
help a great deal indirectly.
...win
In a message dated 2/18/2007 12:21:07 PM Eastern Standard
Time,
Count_Finddivinehotmail.com writes:
> By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor
> Published: 10 December 2006
>
> A United Nations report has identified the world's
greatest threat to the
> climate, forests and wildlife. Meet the world's top
destroyer of the
> environment. It is not the car, or the plane,or even
George Bush: it is the
> rapidly growing herds of cattle.
>
> And they are blamed for a host of other environmental
crimes, from acid rain
>
> to the introduction of alien species, from producing
deserts to creating
> dead zones in the oceans, from poisoning rivers and
drinking water to
> destroying coral reefs.
>
> The 400-page report by the Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United
> Nations, entitled Livestock's Long Shadow, also surveys
the damage done by
> sheep, chickens, pigs and goats. But in almost every
case, the world's 1.5
> billion cattle are most to blame. Livestock are
responsible for 18 per cent
> of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming
[theory], more than cars,
> planes and all other forms of transport put together.
>
> Burning fuel to produce fertilizer to grow feed, to
produce meat and to
> transport it - and clearing vegetation for grazing -
produces 9 per cent of
> all emissions of carbon dioxide, the most common
greenhouse gas. And their
> wind and manure emit more than one third of emissions
of another,
>
> methane, which warms the world 20 times faster than
carbon dioxide [theory].
>
> Livestock also produces more than 100 other polluting
gases, including more
> than two-thirds of the world's emissions of ammonia,
one of the main causes
> of acid rain.
>
> Ranching, the report adds, is "the major driver of
deforestation" worldwide,
>
> and overgrazing is turning a fifth of all pastures and
ranges into desert.
> Cows also soak up vast amounts of water: it takes a
staggering 990 liters of
>
> water to produce one liter of milk.
>
> Wastes from feedlots and fertilizers used to grow their
feed over nourish
> water, causing weeds to choke all other life. And the
pesticides,
> antibiotics and hormones used to treat them get into
drinking water and
> endanger human health.
>
> The pollution washes down to the sea, killing coral
reefs and creating "dead
>
> zones" devoid of life. One is up to 21,000 sq km,
in the Gulf of Mexico,
> where much of the waste from US beef production is
carried down the
> Mississippi.
>
> The report concludes that, unless drastic changes are
made, the massive
> damage done by livestock will more than double by 2050,
as demand for meat
> increases.
>
> [Another variable not considered in the climate model
theories.]
>
>
> >From: wwenger101aol.com
> >Reply-To: imagestream@yahoogroups.com
> >To: imagestream@yahoogroups.com
> >Subject: Re: [imagestream] Re: A way or so to
sequester CO2 ?
> >Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2007 16:36:22 EST
> >
> >Thank you Con. A good response, and it might turn
out to be a good idea.
> >There are vast areas of the countryside, especially
downwind of the
> >acid-rain-producing regions of industry, for whom
your idea might be of
> >very great
> >benefit.
> >
> >Yours is an example of what we should be looking
for - remedies that would
> >be
> >a good thing to undertake anyway for other reasons
than just that of CO2
> >sequestration, so long as there is any reasonable
doubt that CO2 peaks are
> >contributing to damaging extremes of climate
change.
> >
> >I hope you win. I might run two ideas in on the
same contest - you saw my
> >notion on using breakthroughs in water de-saling
technology to irrigate the
> >Sahara and/or other deserts, compost cover crops
there and build up carbon
> >in the
> >soils there. That's one idea from here, which also
meets my suggested
> >criterion of being worth undertaking for its own
sake for other reasons.
> >(Count in
> >the saving of the Amazon, preventing THAT region
from flipping over into
> >desert, as part of the same idea.)
> >
> >The second idea - are there biologists, chemists,
biochemists or
> >biochemical
> >engineers here on this list? There is only so much
algae we can raise for
> >nutritional purposes and perhaps only so much we
can raise to fertilize
> >soils
> >(including carbon-less desert soils, another source
of composting to
> >sequester
> >carbon), what we need is useful bulk products made
from algae. Algae grows
>
> >so
> >readily, one can think of dozens of ways to have
extremely productive algae
> >farms and much of that would indeed sequester
carbon, but what positive
> >products
> >can we grow algae FOR?
> >
> >Sub-question, directed to the same experts: algae
grows so quickly and
> >readily, over so wide a range of conditions, why
aren't we growing THAT for
>
> >ethanol
> >instead of corn? What are the comparative dollar
costs, and what is the
> >energy budget for producing ethanol either way?
> >
> >More generally: what are all the different ways to
ease or head off the
> >effects of a catastrophically changing world
climate which woud be good to
> >undertake for their own sake, for positive reasons
and profit, even while
> >there may be
> >any doubt about the climate catastrophe itself?
What are all the things
> >you
> >can think of that might meet this criterion, whose
effect could also soften
>
> >or
> >turn the blow of radical climate change should that
indeed be pending?
> >
> >Con, thank you for a very helpful and constructive
response. ....win
> >
> >In a message dated 2/17/2007 7:44:45 AM Eastern
Standard Time,
> >ccominosyahoo.com writes:
> >
> >>I have had an idea and have sent an email to Dr
Klaus Lackner about
> >>my idea but have had no reply yet. Dr Klaus
Lackner is a Columbia
> >>University physicist who has developed what he
calls a synthetic
> >>tree using a solution running over slats to
soak up the carbon
> >>dioxide. I don't have the knowledge that Dr.
Lackner has but it
> >>appears we are on the same wavelength and that
is why I contacted
> >>him.
> >>
> >>I remembered from my high school days that
bubbling carbon dioxide
> >>through lime water would cause a reaction and
limestone would
> >>precipitate out of the water. So my idea woud
be to have aircraft
> >>flying as high as possible and releasing lime
water as a very fine
> >>spray. If all goes well the resulting reactants
would slowly fall
> >>back to earth and be incorporated into the
natural cycle. Of course
> >>the particles could clump together and fall
like huge hailstones but
> >>careful observation should help work out what
would stop that
> >>happening. As the race for the prize has
started, I decided today to
> >>submit my idea to the panel. While it might not
be the grandest of
> >>ideas it may at least be something that could
be put to work almost
> >>immediately until a better solution is found.
> >>
> >>Any comments on my idea would be appreciated.
> >>
> >>Regards,
> >>Con
>
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