Phew! Gone with the wind in cow deal

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Gone with the wind in cow deal
By TOM COHEN
CALGARY, ALBERTA
Saturday 25 March 2000

It sounds like a joke, but an agreement signed this week to reduce cow flatulence - a source of greenhouse gases that cause global warming - is no laughing matter.

TransAlta, Canada's largest private power provider, reached the multi-million dollar agreement with Global Livestock Group, a US company, to produce a feed supplement for cattle in Uganda that would reduce their belching and breaking wind.

Sprayed on the East African cattle's hay and feed, the supplement would minimise expulsions of methane gas and produce more and better meat and milk, according to TransAlta.

"People tend to snicker at the obvious joke, but when they look at the size of the emissions we're talking about here, they say, `Wow, that's a lot,' " company spokesman Tim Richter said from Vancouver, where the announcement was made at an international environmental business conference.

The agreement is the kind envisioned by the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which calls for industrialised nations to reduce the amount of so-called greenhouse gas emissions to pre-1990 levels by the year 2012.

The protocol includes suggestions for greenhouse gas producers to contribute to reducing emissions in the short-term without having to harm their operations. One option would give producers credits for emission reductions for helping less-developed countries in environmentally sound projects.

TransAlta hopes to get credits worth 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from the Uganda project. Mr Richter said the company's Canadian operations emit that much carbon dioxide each year.

Environmental groups question the validity of the strategy.

John Wellner of Pollution Probe noted that "if TransAlta are able to buy cow farts in Uganda in order for them to continue to increase business and operations in Ontario and Alberta, the other pollutants that go along with that production are going to increase". AP

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Comment:
Pasted here to bring attention on this international odourous affair. What some people will do to get 'em a bundle of carbon credits - even as far as taken the joy out of a real good fart! Phew!

Regards from Down Under

-- Pieter (zaadz@icisp.net.au), March 24, 2000


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