Hi Thomas,

Re stats quoted; it's too bad you couldn't bring up the Grist mag. report but there is another report different than the United Nations report you put in this reply. The U.N. report is dated Dec. 11, 2006. The title is -- Cow emissions more damaging to planet than CO2 from cars. This is a 400 page report by the Food and Agricultural Organisation, entitled " Livestock's Long Shadow". This is the reoport that claims the 18% figure of green house gases. It takes into consideration that burning fuel to produce fertiliser to grow feed, to produce meat and to transport it - and clearing of vegetation for grazing - produces 9 % of all emissions of CO2. An earlier report came out on Nov. 29, 2006. Hope this helps you to verify my stats.

Terry Dyck


From: "Thomas Kelly" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org
To: <biofuel@sustainablelists.org>
Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Power Use
Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2007 10:01:32 -0500

Terry,
Unable to find the information you referred to at Grist Magazine's web site, I went to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's site and found a book called Livestock and the Environment: Finding a Balance. http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/resources/documents/Lxehtml/tech/index.htm In Chapter 5 is a section dealing with GHG emissions due to livestock I suspect this may be where the quote attributed to the United Nations Food an Agriculture Organization (regarding GHG emissions from livestock) came from. But where you said

"They also mentioned that livestock produces 9% for CO2 and 37% methane and 65% nitrous oxide. Those are world totals."

The book says:
(Chapter 5 Beyond Production Systems; Livestock and greenhouse gases)
"As shown, livestock and manure management contribute about 16 percent of total annual production of 550 million tons."

     Source: USEPA, 1995.
Methane emission









(NOT the 37% you quote)

Regarding Nitrous Oxides and livestock:
"Nitrous oxide emissions. Nitrous oxide is another greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. Total N2O emissions have been estimated by Bouwman (1995) at 13.6 TG N2O per year, which exceeds the stratospheric loss of 10.5 TG N2O per year by an atmospheric increase of 3.1 TG N2O per year. Animal manure contributes about 1.0 TG N2O per year to total emissions. Indirectly, livestock is associated with N2O emissions from grasslands and, through their concentrate feed requirements, with emissions from arable land and N-fertilizer use."

1 TG of the 13.6 TG total N2O emissions is 7.4%. This is far short of the 65% you quoted. The N2O emissions from livestock themselves (denitrifying bacteria acting on nitrogen in the manure) is part of the normal cycling of nitrogen. The vast majority of N2O emissions is the result of the interaction of the O2 and N2 in air at high temperatures characteristic of internal combustion engines and furnaces. Of course a portion of the overall emissions is due to transport of grain and of livestock as well as production of fertilizer and pesticides used in industrial livestock systems. This is a good reason to favor local, mixed farming systems.


As for CO2 .... there is no mention of % CO2 attributed to livestock. There was a consideration of burning Savanna grassland: "Burning of savanna vegetation, sometimes initiated by traditional herders to get high quality new grass shoots during the dry season, but also practised by hunters and croppers to clear the land or chase the game, is another important contribution to CO2 emissions.. Although exact estimates are lacking, one estimate (Menault, 1993) puts the annual emission of the savannas at 18 percent of the global agricultural emissions of CO2. "
Later:
"Carbon dioxide. In discussing carbon dioxide a clear distinction should be made between temporary and permanent emissions. Many CO2 emissions related to livestock production are part of a normal ecological cycle, with CO2 being released at the end of a growing season, but immediately recaptured again in the next growing season. The emissions from savanna burning fall into this category. Most temperate grasslands therefore have also a neutral balance. Livestock-induced deforestation in grazing systems, driven by road construction, land speculation and inappropriate incentives (Chapter 2), and fossil fuel use in the industrial system, driven by increased demand (Chapter 4) are thus the main sources of permanent carbon release."

I think if we are to quote numbers such as % increases or % of total GHG emissions due to a particular source, we should get our numbers right. If not, we may simply succeed in deflecting attention/blame from where it belongs .... energy addiction .... specifically energy generated from fossil fuels. Today we'll blame livestock for the mess we're in tomorrow we'll be blaming the damn anaerobes living in the guts of termites.
                                                        Tom

----- Original Message ----- From: "Terry Dyck" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <biofuel@sustainablelists.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2007 4:28 PM
Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Power Use


Hi Tom,

I read the information on the environmental on-line magazine called " Grist
Magazine".   web site is; [EMAIL PROTECTED]  The issue was from about the
middle of Feb. I believe. It was a story done on how a vegetarian diet can
help to reduce GHG.  I had to click on to the heading to get all of the
information. There could still be a discussion going on about this topic on
their site.

Terry Dyck


From: "Thomas Kelly" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org
To: <biofuel@sustainablelists.org>
Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Power Use
Date: Sat, 3 Mar 2007 15:46:49 -0500

Terry,
    You quote The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization as
follows:
     "Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to todays
most
serious environmental problems."
You go on to say:
    "They also mentioned that livestock produces 9% for CO2 and 37%
methane
and 65% nitrous oxide.  Those are world totals."

     Where can I find the article you are quoting?
                                                     Tom

----- Original Message -----
From: "Terry Dyck" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <biofuel@sustainablelists.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2007 1:35 PM
Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Power Use


> Hi Keith,
>
> Because the source of the facts came from the Vancouver Sun's Green
Issue
> in
> Nov. I am not sure of were the Original Union of Concerned Scientists
> study
> is.  Here is a quote from Brad Knickerbocker of the Christian Science
> Monitor:  "U.S. meat eater are responsible for more tons of CO2 per
person
> than 1 vegetarian per year."  The causes are; deforrestation, land for
> feed
> crops, energy for fertilizers, runs to slaugherhouses and meat
processing
> plants, and pumping water.
> The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's quote.
"Livestock
> are one of the most significant contributors to todays most serious
> environmental problems."  This organization also quoted the 18% figure
for
> GHG.  They also mentioned that livestock produces 9% for CO2 and 37%
> methane
> and 65% nitrous oxide.  Those are world totals.
>
> Terry Dyck
>
>
>>From: Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>Reply-To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org
>>To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org
>>Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Power Use
>>Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2007 02:54:06 +0900
>>
>>Hi Terry
>>
>> >Hi Keith,
>> >
>> >I'm not sure how the math works out but you have to take into
>>consideration
>> >that methane gas is 23 times more potent as a green house gas then
CO2.
>>
>>I didn't forget that, but shouldn't that mean more cars, not fewer
>>cars? Also it's not clear when they say "18% of total global
>>emissions" whether they're referring to methane emissions or total
>>GHG emissions.
>>
>>I think UCS usually gets it right, I don't think they were correctly
>>quoted. But I haven't managed to find the original work at their
>>website.
>>
>> >Also the commercial livestock farms use many times more fossil fuels
to
>> >create food than do organic produce farms.  Of course the 100 mile
diet
>>is
>> >important too.
>>
>>Indeed. To sum up, I think the criticism applies to factory farms,
>>which are not farms at all, but it doesn't apply to real farming.
>>Adopting a vegetarian diet is perhaps one alternative to supporting
>>factory farming, but a better alternative is to support sustainable
>>farming, which necessarily includes livestock and meat production.
>>Vegetarianism itself is not a sustainable alternative. As an
>>individual diet choice perhaps, but not as a farming system.
>>
>>Thanks - regards
>>
>>Keith
>>
>>
>> >Terry Dyck
>> >
>> > >From: Keith Addison <keith at journeytoforever.org>
>> > >Reply-To: biofuel at sustainablelists.org
>> > >To: biofuel at sustainablelists.org
>> > >Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Power Use
>> > >Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2007 19:13:55 +0900
>> > >
>> > >Hi Terry
>> > >
>> > >Thanks for finding the ref.
>> > >
>> > > >Hi Keith,
>> > > >
>> > > >You asked for a link to the the UCS quote. It was from the Green >> > > >Issue of the Vancouver Sun newspaper in Nov. (Vancouver, BC, >> > > >Can.) >> > > >The actual quote was, Methane produced by waste on cattle and hog >> > > >farms is as hard on the atmospher as 33 million cars. 18% of >> > > >total
>> > > >global emissions.
>> > >
>> > >But 33 million cars is only about 15% of the number of vehicles in
>> > >the US, let alone globally, how can that equal 18% of global
>> > >emissions?
>> > >
>> > >"Cattle and hog farms" means CAFOs, not farms, or at least in the
>> > >vast majority of cases. I don't think that's the same as what you
>> > >said, "the total of all livestock on this planet".
>> > >
>> > > >>I think the meat industry would account for a lot more than a
>> > > >>paltry
>> > > >>33 million cars' worth of GHGs.
>> > >
>> > >I still think that. The claim of 18% of global emissions from CAFOs
>> > >doesn't sound unreasonable, but the cars bit can't be right, seems
to
>> > >me.
>> > >
>> > >Thanks Terry.
>> > >
>> > >Best
>> > >
>> > >Keith
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > >Terry Dyck
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > >>From: Keith Addison <keith at journeytoforever.org>
>> > > >>Reply-To: biofuel at sustainablelists.org
>> > > >>To: biofuel at sustainablelists.org
>> > > >>Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Power Use
>> > > >>Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 16:26:10 +0900
>> > > >>
>> > > >>Hello Terry
>> > > >>
>> > > >> >Hi Kirk,
>> > > >> >
>> > > >> >If all of us did what we should be doing our houses would be
one
>> > > >> >room heated with Geo Thermal, hot water and electricity by
solar
>>and
>> > > >> >we would walk or bike almost everywere
>> > > >>
>> > > >>This:
>> > > >>
>> > > >> >and we would be totally Vegan.
>> > > >>
>> > > >>... is nonsense, as we've established quite thoroughly many
times.
>> > > >>Please go to the archives and check it out.
>> > > >>
>> > > >>There is no way of raising crops sustainably without using
>> > > >>livestock
>> > > >>in the production system. No vegetarian farming system has ever
>> > > >>survived the test of time.
>> > > >>
>> > > >>Please don't argue about it until you've checked it out, no need
to
>> > > >>go over the same old ground yet another time.
>> > > >>
>> > > >> >The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that because of the
>>amount
>> > > >> >of Methane gas caused from feed lots, etc. that the total of
all
>> > > >> >livestock on this planet is equivalent to taking 33 million
cars
>>of
>> > > >> >the road.
>> > > >>
>> > > >>"Feed lots, etc"? What does the "etc" mean?
>> > > >>
>> > > >>I'm sure the amount of GHGs emitted by trees etc is even worse,
>> > > >>should we cut them all down too?
>> > > >>
>> > > >>"Do trees share blame for global warming?"
>> > > >>http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0119/p13s01-sten.html
>> > > >>"Globally, living plants may contribute from 10 to 30 percent of
>> > > >>global methane emissions."
>> > > >>
>> > > >>I haven't seen the UCS report you mention, would you give us a
>> > > >>reference or a link please?
>> > > >>
>> > > >>Anyway you're talking about feedlots, CAFOs, Confined Animal
>> > > >>Feeding
>> > > >>Operations, industrialised factory farms. No CAFOs no meat?
That's
>> > > >>the same mistake enviros make when they attack fuel ethanol
because
>> > > >>they don't like Archer Daniel Midlands and Cargill. There are
other
>> > > >>ways of doing things, as we ought to know by now.
>> > > >>
>> > > >>There've been a number of high-profile critiques of industrial
meat
>> > > >>production and global warming, this is the main one:
>> > > >>
>> > >
>> >>http://www.virtualcentre.org/en/library/key_pub/longshad/A0701E00.htm
>> > > >>Livestock's long shadow - Environmental issues and options
>> > > >>Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
>> > > >>
>> > > >>Feedlot cattle, pigs and poultry eat industrialised grain,
produced
>> > > >>with high dependence on fossil-fuel inputs and at high
>> > > >>environmental
>> > > >>cost, and the same applies to the CAFO livestock production
system
>> > > >>itself. Check out how carbon-neutral industrialised grain turns
out
>> > > >>to be. Pastured livestock eat forage.
>> > > >>
>> > > >>With CAFOs most of the methane emissions result from the manure
>> > > >>storage, especially with pigs. With pastured livestock,
especially
>> > > >>with rotational pasture, the manure provides the soil fertility
to
>> > > >>produce multiple following crops, displaces the need for
>> > > >>fossil-fuel
>> > > >>based chemical fertilisers, and does so at a healthy profit. >> > > >>Such
>> > > >>pasture soils sequester very large amounts of carbon.
>> > > >>
>> > > >>I think the meat industry would account for a lot more than a
>> > > >>paltry
>> > > >>33 million cars' worth of GHGs. Well so what, it doesn't have >> > > >>any
>> > > >>future anyway, any more than the rest of the industrial
agriculture
>> > > >>disaster does. It's fossil-fuel dependent every step of the way,
>> > > >>and
>> > > >>measured in food miles that comes to a hell of a long way. It'll
>>bust
>> > > >>all their bottom-lines when carbon accounting starts hitting the
>> > > >>global trade it depends on, the insane distribution system, the
>> > > >>processing. Apart from all of which CAFOs have become a major
>> > > >>bio-hazard.
>> > > >>
>> > > >>No need for it anyway. The future is small, sustainable,
family-run
>> > > >>mixed farms with integrated crop and livestock production, low
>>input,
>> > > >>high output, local markets.
>> > > >>
>> > > >>Best
>> > > >>
>> > > >>Keith
>> > > >>
>> > > >>
>> > > >> >Terry Dyck
>> > > >> >
>> > > >> >>From: Kirk McLoren <kirkmcloren at yahoo.com>
>> > > >> >>Reply-To: biofuel at sustainablelists.org
>> > > >> >>To: biofuel at sustainablelists.org
>> > > >> >>Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Power
Use
>> > > >> >>Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 11:45:14 -0800 (PST)
>> > > >> >>
>> > > >> >>The message is - It isnt really that important. If it were I
>>would do
>> > >it.
>> > > >> >> So how true is it - at least to him.
>> > > >> >> If it doent motivate him maybe he knows something we dont.
>> > > >> >> So of all people to squander energy it shouldnt be him.
>> > > >> >>
>> > > >> >> You might want to look into Cripple Creek Coal which he is >> > > >> >> on
>>the
>> > > >> >>board of directors.
>> > > >> >>
>> > > >> >> Kirk
>> > > >> >>
>> > > >> >>Tom Irwin <tomuru at hotmail.com> wrote:
>> > > >> >>       Hi Kirk and all,
>> > > >> >> When the message cannot be attacked then attack the
messenger.
>>Ok,
>> > > >> >>so Gore doesn´t walk the talk. How many of us do? We try to,
but
>> > > >> >>there is a long way to go for most everyone in the developed
>>world.
>> > > >> >>It´s the message that´s inportant, not the man.
>> > > >> >> Tom Irwin
>> > > >> >>
>> > > >> >>
>> > > >> >>
>> > > >> >>
>> > > >> >>
>> > > >> >>---------------------------------
>> > > >> >>
>> > > >> >>From:  Kirk McLoren <kirkmcloren at yahoo.com>
>> > > >> >>Reply-To:  biofuel at sustainablelists.org
>> > > >> >>To:  biofuel <Biofuel at sustainablelists.org>
>> > > >> >>Subject:  [Biofuel] Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Power Use
>> > > >> >>Date:  Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:57:43 -0800 (PST)
>>
>>
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>>
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>>
>
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