Fish Oil Could Control Methane-Packed Cow Farts

When cows fart – which they do, a lot – one of the most potent greenhouse gases in existence is released in huge quantities. That, of course, contributes to global warming. But how do we get all the cows on the planet to stop passing gas? Scientists have tried trapping it in tanks strapped to the cows’ backs and other crazy measures, and the latest one is really fishy: using fish oil to reduce cow flatulence.

From Live Science:

Specifically, including 2 percent fish oil in the diet of cattle reduces flatulence, apparently due to the omega 3 fatty acids in the oil. The study was a small one, however. The technique cut methane output of three cows by 21 percent, said Lorraine Lillis of the University College Dublin.

“The fish oil affects the methane-producing bacteria in the rumen part of the cow’s gut, leading to reduced emissions,” Lillis said. “Understanding which microbial species are particularly influenced by changes in diet and relating them to methane production could bring about a more targeted approach to reducing methane emissions in animals.”

Asked about the overall potential benefits fish-oil, Lillis told LiveScience she didn’t know yet what effect it might have on a larger group of cattle. She also acknowledged a possible shortcoming of the scheme: “There may be some trade-off as fish oil is expensive and difficult to get,” she said. Also not considered yet, she said, is whether it would put undue pressure on fish populations.

It’s certainly an interesting approach, and nowhere near as silly as cows with pink fart balloons attached to them. Of course, the best approach would be for as many people as possible to reduce the amount of meat they eat or stop altogether, which would reduce demand for cows and cut the population. But that’s too much to ask, apparently, so here we are.

Link [Live Science]
Photo credit: Flickr user Flikr

Poo Power! Oslo Buses to Run on Biomethane

Citizens of Norway will soon be able to ride around town on buses powered by nothing other than methane from human excrement. It’s emissions-free, hardly costs a thing and doesn’t require drilling into the earth’s surface. Every single person in Oslo will be contributing something very personal toward this new method of powering the city’s buses.

From WorldChanging:

In Oslo, air pollution from public and private transport has increased by approximately 10% since 2000, contributing to more than 50% of total CO2 emissions in the city. With Norway’s ambitious target of being carbon neutral by 2050 Oslo City Council began investigating alternatives to fossil fuel-powered public transport and decided on biomethane.

Biomethane is a by-product of treated sewage. Microbes break down the raw material and release the gas, which can then be used in slightly modified engines. Previously at one of the sewage plants in the city half of the gas was flared off, emitting 17,00 tonnes of CO2. From September 2009, this gas will be trapped and converted into biomethane to run 200 of the city’s public buses.

Hey, it makes total sense. This is a great example of thinking outside the box to find solutions that don’t require wars in the Middle East or the destruction of ocean ecosystems. The biomethane would otherwise be wasted, and if it can create fuel – isn’t letting it go to waste the same as lighting piles of hundred dollar bills on fire? This is going to be a huge money saver for Oslo, especially since the city’s diesel buses will only require minor modifications.

This idea should definitely be applied on a wider scale. The idea of ‘poo power’ may be kind of gross when you’re first introduced to it, but if it helps us get beyond fossil fuels, it’s pretty rad.

Link [WorldChanging]

Cow Burps Responsible for More Greenhouse Gases than Cars

A herd of cows produces more greenhouse gases than a family car just by burping, a researcher at the University of Portsmouth said this week.  Dr. Andy Thorpe explained that 200 cows belch out enough methane each year to equal the emissions produced by a car being driven 111,850 miles.

From The Independent:

He added that while CO2 emissions have increased by 31 per cent during the past 250 years, methane, which has a higher warming potential and a longer lifetime in the atmosphere, has increased by 149 per cent during the same period.

Dr Thorpe added that methane in the atmosphere was believed to be responsible for one-fifth of global warming experienced since 1750.

The main animal producers are domestic animals, particularly cows, sheep, goats and camels which have an additional stomach, he said.

I’ve got an easy solution: sell the family car and starting riding around on cows. It’ll be way more fun, if slower. Seriously though, cutting back on the amount of meat and dairy we consume would be a huge help. The reason there are so many cows on this earth at any given time is that huge numbers are raised for meat and dairy.

A single dairy cow can produce as much as 176 pounds of methane per year. If there wasn’t as much demand, factory farms wouldn’t breed so many cows. It wouldn’t just cut back on greenhouse gas emissions, it would also reduce the amount of grain needed for cattle feed (and the land, fertilizer, pesticides and water used to grow it). It’s simple. If you’re not willing to go vegetarian, at least cut back.  Having fewer meat-centered meals per week isn’t that big a sacrifice when you consider what we’re up against.

Link [The Independent]
Photo credit: Flickr user foxypar4

Arctic Sea ‘Foaming with Methane’ as Permafrost Melts

Scientists have discovered the first evidence that millions of tons of methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, are being released into the atmosphere from beneath the Arctic seabed.  It’s not yet confirmed, but if it turns out to be true, it could be an extremely bad sign for the future of every living thing on earth.  Scientists believe that underground stores of methane, when suddenly released into the atmosphere, cause rapid increases in global temperatures.

From The Independent:

In the past few days, the researchers have seen areas of sea foaming with gas bubbling up through “methane chimneys” rising from the sea floor. They believe that the sub-sea layer of permafrost, which has acted like a “lid” to prevent the gas from escaping, has melted away to allow methane to rise from underground deposits formed before the last ice age.

They have warned that this is likely to be linked with the rapid warming that the region has experienced in recent years.

Methane is about 20 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and many scientists fear that its release could accelerate global warming in a giant positive feedback where more atmospheric methane causes higher temperatures, leading to further permafrost melting and the release of yet more methane.

The area where the methane was discovered covers thousands of square miles of the Siberian continental shelf.

So, basically, the damage we’ve already done has led to the permafrost melting.  The permafrost had been keeping all of this methane from escaping.  As the methane escapes, it will accelerate global warming at such a dramatic pace that there might not be anything we can do to counteract the effects.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that we should stop all of our efforts to fight global warming – the opposite is true.  This news, if it’s confirmed, should light a fire under our collective asses and force us to get serious about the things that are causing global warming.  It might be too late, but isn’t fighting better than sitting around waiting for Mother Nature to squash us like ants?

Link [The Independent] via [WorldChanging]

Researchers Collecting Cow Flatulence in Plastic Tanks to Study Global Warming

10 cows in Argentina are wearing fashionable pink ‘balloon backpacks’ that collect methane directly from their stomachs. Researchers in Argentina are studying the effects of methane on the environment, and they’ve discovered that methane from cows accounts for more than 30 percent of Argentina’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

From The Telegraph:

As one of the world’s biggest beef producers, Argentina has more than 55 million cows grazing in its famed Pampas grasslands.
Guillermo Berra, a researcher at the National Institute of Agricultural Technology, said every cow produces between 8000 to 1,000 litres of emissions every day.

Methane, which is also released from landfills, coal mines and leaking gas pipes, is 23 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

Scientists are now carrying out trials of new diets designed to improve cows’s digestion and hopefully reduce global warming. Silvia Valtorta, of the National Council of Scientific and Technical Investigations, said that by feeding cows clover and alfalfa instead of grain “you can reduce methane emissions by 25 percent”.

So, these big balloon-like bags collect the methane that would otherwise come out of the cow at both ends and end up in the atmosphere, and when they’re full the scientists take them off and hang them up in the corral for analysis. Gross. Can you imagine accidentally getting a whiff of methane straight from a cow’s stomach? Though, I guess it may be milder than it would be after traveling through… okay, I’m thinking way too much about cow flatulence first thing in the morning.

Link [The Telegraph] via [Robotzilla]
Photo credit: Reuters