Methane-Eating Bacteria Could Combat Global Warming

realwx writes "New Zealand scientists have found a bacterium, named 'Methylokorus infernorum,' that eats a key global warming chemical. Found in a hot spring, the bug lives off of methane emissions from geothermically active areas. A scientist quoted in the article stated that a cubic meter of liquid containing the bacterium would consume about 11kg of methane each year. 'But Dr Stott cautioned that such an application was probably some years into the future. He said it was unlikely the micro-organism, which prefers acidic conditions of about 60C, could ever be added to sheep or cows' food to stop the animals releasing methane.'"

Comments

Vegetarians are bad for the planet

[goombah99]

Vegetarianism requires irrigation that uses up precious water resources. Cuts down forests to make crop land. And drains pesticides and nirates into our rivers. When done poorly, as in many places it leads to salted or barren lands. Huge amounts of fossil fuels are consumes planting, harvesting and manufacturing fertilizer. Even the employees have to drive to work.

Then unless you want to live just on what your area can grow, you have to truck all those crops 2000 miles per bite, lentil breath.

Take the midwest which used to support 200 million buffalo on natural unirrigated grasses. That was all torn up to produce crops.

Cattle can graze on unirrigated badlands where crop lands are impractical. No pesticides. Take away cows and many people would starve. Rather than trucking low energy food thousands of miles, cows can collected centrally then just the high energy tasty bits actually transported.

Now as for methane. We now have 100 million cows in the US and each cow is producing less methane than the buffalo. Moreover grain fed beef produces 1/3 of grass fed. And lets not forget all the other gazers like deer that are less plenitful than the old days. So the amount of methane being produced now from cow farts is a small fraction of the pre-whiteman era.

Moreover all those 100 million cows produce less methane every year than a gigwatt coal firesplant. And their building 1 a week in china right now. By 2040 that may rise to 3 a day if energy demands continue at present rates.

Any people worry about cows??