April 20th, 2009
Fat people an environmental issue now? How about flatulence?
On a planet with insufficient resources (that would be Earth) for us all live like hedge-fund traders, it follows that the HAVES will not be popular with the HAVE-NOTS. And that may even go for human obesity.
This is not a story about flatulence, it’s about the added calories needed for obese people to maintain their weighty superiority, according to the research. That extra calories and protein intake mean almost one-fifth more greenhouse gas emissions per capita. So, the research concludes, lean is green. And the U.S. as in so many things, is the leading major country in the obesity weigh-in with 40% of our folks tipping the scales enough to qualify as obese.
POLITICS OF FARTS
Flatulence is definitely on the political radar as an environmental issue. This natural form of off-gassing is being cited by those who resent attempts to regulate yet another human activity, like, say, coal burning.
No member of U.S. Congress is required to have a modicum of understanding of biochemistry. No room for facts inside the Beltway echo chamber. But it is worthwhile for us in the real world to note that methane from cow flatulence (or pigs, or sheep if you live in New Zealand) is far more worrisome than mere CO2 they emit. To that end (I get one point for that bun pun…thanks), there are resesarchers truly trying to modify cow chemistry so they produce less methane!
Greencows.com sounds like a great URL for new generation of green livestock entrepreneurs. The website now looks definitely like a place holder, so get your bids in early.
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A newsman since 1969, Harry Fuller has worked for CBS, ABC, CNBC Europe, CNET and was founding news director at TechTV. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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