“I talk a lot about cow farts”…

We must handle the other 75%

“I talk a lot about cow farts”… says Bill Gates, somewhere in his Gates Notes blog. And quite right, too, because, as he points out, farming animals for meat produces about a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions (in the form of methane), about the same as burning fossil fuels. We hear a lot, like a real lot, about the need for renewables v. fossil fuels; we hear almost nothing - Gates aside - about growing livestock and its impact on global warming via methane emissions from flatulent cows.
Now Burger King has put out a video promoting a type of lemongrass additive to reduce methane in cow farts. Reduce by around 33%, according to BK.
Good, right? Not according to farmers who slam the video as “condescending and hypocritical”. They point out that cow burps are worse than cow farts, methane-wise. (I did not know that!).
Still, isn’t doing a bit better than doing nothing?
Btw, I’m all in favour of our growing meat in the lab, rather then on actual animals. In a hundred years’ time we may well look back with horror at humans today who raised actual living creatures for meat.
Anyhoo… here’s the BBC, where I just found this lovely little story, and learnt about cow belches v. cow farts:

Fast food chain Burger King has released an advertisement encouraging US farmers to change cow diets in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.The controversial video ad features children in cowboy hats singing about the impact methane gas emitted due to cow flatulence has on global warming.
Burger King claims adding lemongrass to cow diets could ease digestion and dramatically reduce methane emissions.
But farm leaders say the ad is "condescending and hypocritical". More…

Memo to Bill: it’s the belching, not the farting. Or, more correctly: it’s farting and belching.

LATER: I actually got around to watching the vid. It’s quite cute. I don’t understand why people should get so het up about it. And no doubt helps raise the issue of cattle-sourced methane.  By the way, it doesn’t miss out on belching! Link to the vid.