Blame the cows!

Sam ARMSTRONG

How godless and sick. To reinvent the flooding of the world only to build a smaller ark and then tell all the animals that they will drown because their farts make the world hotter. The NWO is a scary monster indeed.

Ruth

The more I hear about this 'global warming' nonsense. the more I want to increase my 'carbon footprint'

Sir Graphus

The theory is it takes a smaller area of agricultural land to feed a vegetarian than a meat eater, because the cow sits bovinely chewing grass and farting when you could plant suedes, turnip and other unappetising but highly nutritious vegetables.

Personally, I like the theory, because the process of digesting the cellulose of vegetable matter produces more methane than digesting protein. Meat eaters effectively get cows do digest the cellulose for us; this implies that vegetarians fart more than meat eaters (though my sister's dog disproves this every time it walks into a room).

I've rather lost the thread of what this implies for global warming, though.

Maximilian

Better kill off all the pigs in Cairo, then. Or did they do that already, a few months ago, for some other non-reason?

Merlyn

It has nothing to do with global warming, however the production of meat certainly takes up far far more land that could be used for other food cultivation, and has decimated the rainforest. so I would agree to eat much less meat, as it is healthier for me and the planet, anyway... it appears the global warming is made into the threat for every last thing.

Oflife (formerly Vision Aforethought)

I don't normally agree with M on matters green, but assuming Mr. Stern was right (I have no idea), from my first hand experience, vegetarians break wind as much as cows, so it would make little difference if we did all give up meat - no matter the effect on those of us who frequent lifts a lot. :) In addition, most vegetarians I know are often ill. While one can eat such a diet and remain healthy, it appears most are missing out on some key nutrients. OK, time to watch NASA launch their next generation rocket live. If it works, at least there's hope we can escape if things do go terribly pear shaped down here on Earth!

Yank in London

If not an issue for global warming the amount of meat consumption per capita will clearly be problematic as the planet's human population surges towards 9 billion. Unless of course you believe it acceptable the that Western world continues fat, dumb and happy whilst the rest of world is left to exist on the scraps.

John Levett

Earlier this week, we were being encouraged to exchange our dogs and cats for edible pets to combat climate change. My polar bear cub was delicious.

Suffolkbor

New Labour will be in raptures over this latest piece of claptrap.

They have been trying their best to put our livestock farmers out of business since they came to power and this will provide them with an excellent opportunity to launch a campaign to finish the job .

Expect more brainwashing of children in schools and in mind manipulating "Public Information " advertisements .

It is not Sterns business to tell other people what to eat or anyone else in the public sphere .

Jeff Rooker was making similar noises a while back.

Wolf T

When will that ertwhile lord demand the great herds of wildebeast, zebra and antelope of Africa be decimated in the name of global warming?

Suffolkbor

Wolf T:
When will that erstwhile Lord demand that the great herds of wildebeest ,Zebra and Antelope of Africa be decimated in the name of Global Warming ?

Never .

They obviously don,t fart .

Dixon

The only result would be that instead of the cows releasing methane the vegetarian hordes in their flatulence would be doing so. Just an ironic quip? Just think about it for a moment.

Its exactly the same dumbass "logic" as banning incandescent lightbulbs ( which I still purchase regularly from a large department store that is aware of the loopholes in the regulations ): Energy efficiency reduces the consumers costs, which saving they then spend on other goods and services. Ergo, energy efficiency will never reduce energy consumption.Its axiomatic. Yet this simple logic is ignored in the urge to be seen to seem to be doing something.

Liz Brown

Thank you Melanie - you've said it all for me!

EDDIE

If we all become vegetarians, could we equal the methane production of cows?

Maximilian

I've rather lost the thread of what this implies for global warming, though.

Don't worry, Sir Graphus, you're in good company. Sir Nicolas Stern lost it a long time ago.

A J Scott

Put up the price of ermine for peers while we're at it, by say x10, and make them buy a new kit every year.
My heart bleeds for the poor ermine, doesn't yours?

Anne Wotana Kaye

Methane gas from pigs and sheep? Perhaps we should ban the tins of baked beans which are eaten in such great quantities by the populations in many countries.

Pete

John Levett
October 27th, 2009 12:38pm
My polar bear cub was delicious.

Ta Mate! Coffee all over the keyboard again! :)

Roy

This ridiculous scheme of taxing ruminant animals for their flatulence emissions (fart tax) is what New Zealand signed up to in 2002. By stupidly going along with the Kyoto Protocol this is what you get. Farmers however argue the costs for research into livestock emissions of methane and nitrous oxide accounting for more than half of the country's green house gases be spread across all taxpayers (seemingly agreeing with the logic of it). It would appear if you lack industrial emissions they will find other forms to reap in the revenue.

Roy

In correction the gas is produced through burping, so should be termed a 'burp tax'!

elixelx

In the practical-joke days of my childhood in impoverished India, we used to put an empty plate in front of hungry guests and invite them to eat what many in India were eating--"Air and Plate".
Now let's say everyone in the world stopped eating beef. What would we do with the cows? Sterilise them? Expensive and Extinctive? Cull them? Expensive, Extinctive and in-Effctual, since we would become like India with our protected bovines snarling traffic and making walking a hazard!
So, may I suggest that we start collecting the hot air that emerges from both ends of Annabelle, AND FEED IT TO LORD STERN AND HIS COTERIE, as a New Age, nouvelle cuisine variation on "Air and Plate"!

stanley Jerusalem

A J Scott
October 27th, 2009 5:14pm
"Put up the price of ermine for peers while we're at it, by say x10, and make them buy a new kit every year."
Sorry Chum, they've been synthetic for years. Bit like their owners really.

elixelx

Yank in London said:
"...Unless of course you believe it acceptable the that Western world continues fat, dumb and happy whilst the rest of world is left to exist on the scraps".

Yank, when your forebears were still indentured peasants, and right up until today, if you asked any person aspiring to a higher standard of living what would change as they grew more affluent they would have told you, will tell you, that it would be the inclusion of more meat in their diet.

Indeed, how much meat you ate/eat was/is an important metric of success! People have always wanted to be "fatter and happier", though only your ilk, snobbishly, have equated this to being "dumber".

There's no accounting for the egotistical stupidity!

So, do you now want to deny this measure of richness to the "scrap-eating" world, when all it desires is Pastrami?
Would you prefer to eat excrement rather than ribs?

Well, there's no accounting for execrable taste!

Hie yourself to Kolkata, Yank,--if you can bear to tear yourself away from the "flesh pots"-- where you can eat off the streets! If not stop preaching to us what you alone, selfishly, say you practice.

There's no accounting for detestable hypocrisy!

Naomi Muse

Melanie is right it is a step too far.

Just as Erik von Daniken thought a step too far about his alien ships, Stern has not thought it through.

No animals to eat, no leather shoes, bags coats, jackets etc., either.

Therefore more plastic needed to produce synthetic ones of these that are not biodegradable like leather.

Another line - No animals to eat and therefore no good ol' farm manure for natural crop rotation etc.

Therefore need more chemicals to produce synthetic 'rotted farmyard manure'.

Law of unintended consequences = dustbowls arising out of what could be good agricultural land if fed with good nutrients.

Does anyone know if Stern has qualifications in chemistry or interests in related firms?

daniel maris

I heard him on the radio the other day and thought to myself. "Ah - a bear of little brain." to quote from Winnie the Pooh. And having just checked him out on Google images, I see no reason to demur from that judgment.

Terry from Oz

Of all issues I can ever recall, the global warming scam is the most pernicious, the greatest threat to civilisation and western democracy since communism and fascism.

I pray that copenhagen will implode and that the alarmists are scattered and defeated.

In Australia, as, it seems, in Britain, we have a 'conservative' opposition that is as blind to the danger as the crazies who now form euphamistic 'government'.

These are dark times and if the global alarmists get their way we can kiss goodbye to freedom, afluence and democracy itself. yet many erstwhile intelligent people believe this wicked scam.

Robin

Naomi - you put "Stern" and "thought" in the same sentence. That will not do...

les

Seems to that Stern has made a great contribution to the amount of Methane by this load of drivel

Suffolkbor

Les:
"Seems that Stern has made a great contribution to the amount of Methane by this load of drivel".

Surely you are not inferring that Sir Nicholas is talking out of his arse are you?

Suffolkbor

At this very moment Sir Nicholas could well be scything a serrated knife through a juicy porterhouse steak in a fancy London restaurant.

I very much doubt whether the diet of such people consists of Bean Curd and 101 ways to enjoy Tofu .

No doubt the old adage "Don,t do as I do , do as I say " rings the dinner bell here .

Suffolkbor

Animal Flatus a factor in ""Climate Change".

A report from the Stern!

Neil Craig

"Sir Nicholas Stern made a revealing comment in his OXONIA lecture of January 2006: "in August or July of last year, [he] had an idea what the greenhouse effect was but wasn't really sure". It seems that, starting from a position of little knowledge of the issues, he has swiftly espoused the official view...,"

Stern is thus, by his own admission, a semiliterate civil service clotheshorse hired to display any lie his masters want. Admittedly a well paid clotheshorse.

Merlyn

We are repeatedly told, 'we are what we eat'. Naturally it is in the governments interests to encourage docile herding animals that arnt too bright like cows and sheep, so they can herd us into the polling booths. Or maybe chickens that dont have much of a brain that they can use scare tactics on. Then there are pigs who will eat anything put in front of them....
Baa, baa, baa

Sergey

Most world meat production comes from grasslands of Argentina, where nothing else except grass can be economicaly cultivated. Most of what is left is produced in Mongolia, where also plant agriculture is impossible. Both countries can easily double their production, but most of the world prefers much more cheap poultry and pork. And cows farts are a tiny portion of world methane production: more than 90% are emitted by termites. So chew your stew without sense of guilt, folks! Do not allow insane green activists to shame you into believing into all this climate nonsense.

Les Hardie

Has Lord Stern calculated the toal CO2 exhilations of the average person during one's lifetime? Doubtless it is a gigantic number, which must needs lead to the conclusion that reducing AGW requires that people stop breathing. Let us therefore ask Lord Stern and The Goracle to set an example by being the first!

Derek BLADES

Fart jokes always bring out the worst in people and this is especially true of many of the semi-educated but opinionated correspondents that populate this blog site. But global warming is actually an important issue with far reaching consequences for future generations.

So far as I understand her not even Ms Phillips denies that the world is getting warmer. What is at issue here is whether human activity is to blame. The overwhelming majority of climate scientists think that human activity is indeed the main causes. Ms Phillips apparently has a different view but why should I or anyone else treat her opinion seriously. Does she have any qualifications in any relevant branch of science?

David

Everyone has the right to an opininion, but when the media has such a large influence on public participation habits (just look at the MMR hoax and the consequential fall in vaccine uptake rates, and the subsequent increase of Mumps and Measles cases) ridiculous articles like this backed by absolutely no figures are very frustrating at best. Methane, of which a large proportion of our emmisions is caused by the raising of livestock is a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO2, before you help condemn the world to castastrophe do some actual research!

Trish

I always listen to what the Global Warming people say, and then do the opposite, as their hysterical warnings bear all the hallmarks of manipulative propaganda, supported by very dicey extrapolations from the data. Of course we should look after our universe, but we do need to avoid getting hysterical about it: The fact is that carbon dioxide forms less than 5 percent of the greenhouse gases, most of which is by water and cloud. Several hundred years ago the temperatures were three degrees higher than today, Vikings farmed on Greenland and the northern cap, according to a Chinese Ship's log in the 1500's was free of ice. So I shall continue to enjoy meat until the powers who intend us to stop eating it have their way.