Wednesday, 15 July 2020

The Whiff of Decay


Even though there has been something of a (temporary?) reduction in the release of carbon dioxide over the Covid-19 lockdown, a recent report suggests, that the more potent 'greenhouse gas', methane, is currently at record levels in the atmosphere (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/14/livestock-farming-and-fossil-fuels-could-drive-4c-global-heat-rise). This gas is largely generated by the burping of cows (it's a product of their complex digestive system, dealing with grasses) but is added to by the burning of certain fossil fuels. The data suggest, that if this continues unchecked, there will be a 4°C rise in the planet's mean temperature. This is, of course, well above the so-called 'safe' value of 1.5-2°C. Pretty obviously, there is an increasingly urgent need to change farming practises and power generation.

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