Kangaroo Farming Could Reduce Global Warming
What if you could drastically reduce greenhouse gases just by changing your eating habits?
According to a new study by the University of New South Wales, farming kangaroos instead of sheep or cattle could lower national greenhouse gases in Australia by 3 percent a year.
Methane from burps and farts of cows and sheep is an often overlooked contributor to global warming, but it accounts for 67% of Australia’s agricultural sector methane emissions. It also contributes 11% of Australia’s total emissions. In contrast, kangaroos barely produce any methane.
Of course, changing an entire nation’s eating habits isn’t easy. Australia sells relatively little kangaroo meat for consumption compared to other types of meat, and then there’s the issue of kangaroos being a national icon. But Australia produces 1.5 of the world’s carbon emissions, so drastic steps certainly shouldn’t be out of the question. If the farming project actually takes off, the authors of the University of New South Wales study estimate that rangelands could support 240 million kangaroos—and only 175 million kangaroos are needed to produce the same amount of meat currently harvested from rangelands.
Fortunately for those of us living outside of Australia, other countries are embarking on similar projects to reduce methane by farming low-emissions animals. Examples include springbok in South Africa, red deer in the UK, and bison in the United States. With CO2 emissions from other industries showing no signs of slowing down, eating a red deer burger doesn’t sound so bad.
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August 11th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
I know a way to curb emissions anymore. Don’t eat any meat. (At least in places where plant-based foods are available). That would help more than all the fuel economy and emissions regulations combined and prevent needless pain and suffering.
UH2L
http://www.thingsivenoticed.com
August 11th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
[...] Kangaroo Farming Could Reduce Global Warming By Ariel Schwartz According to a new study by the University of South Wales, farming kangaroos instead of sheep or cattle could lower national greenhouse gases in Australia by 3 percent a year. Methane from burps and farts of cows and sheep is an often … CleanTechnica – http://cleantechnica.com [...]
August 11th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
So, UH2L, I present a problem. First, how do you get EVERY person on Earth to stop eating meat? (something we are biologically adapted to do.) Second, what do you propose we do to the existing livestock herds and processing buildings?
I can speak from experience when I say bison meat is a tasty alternative to beef.
August 11th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
I completely aggree with UH2L. If we really want to make a difference for the environment (and our own health) we should stop eating meat. It’s better for the animals too.
August 11th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
I know an even better way to curb emissions…eat vegans (or vegetarians where vegans are not available)! That would save the animals, and the plants, and free the rest of us from their annoying preaching!
Wrap mine in bacon, smother in cheese and deep fry it in whale blubber, America-licious!!
August 11th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
It’s not feasible to request people stop eating meat entirely. It’s an important part of the human diet; also, it tastes delicious.
And wouldn’t it be easier to simply raise fuel mileage standards and switch over to solar? We can curb a much greater amount of emissions by merely doing these two things, as opposed to changing the human into a herbivore.
August 11th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Hi,
I think this is not a bad, of-course, it would take some infrastructure modification too, as these things can really jump and move so the average truck and fencing system would have to change.
Better to just stop eating meat altogether, like me!
Also please note that this is the university of NEW south wales (Australia), not south wales (UK)
August 11th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Thanks Michael, I just fixed that.
August 12th, 2008 at 4:00 am
Kangaroo Farming Could Reduce Global Warming | Deliggit.com…
\r\nWhat if you could drastically reduce greenhouse gases just by changing your eat…
August 12th, 2008 at 6:19 am
Dude Kangaroos like totally rule. I really would love to have a kangaroo. Go to any US courthouse and you should find many, being the US is full of “kangaroo courts” LOL
JT
http://www.FireMe.To/udi
August 12th, 2008 at 7:32 am
This is stupid. Did it occur to the researchers that kangaroos aren’t farmed like cattle and sheep for a reason. Perhaps we ought to just exterminate all cattle because they fart too much.
August 12th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Kangaroo meat would be a good stepping stone on the way to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but growing meat (in a tube or on a lattice) would be a much better alternative.
August 12th, 2008 at 8:45 am
I going to be incredibly presumptuous here and forgive me if I’m wrong, but I’m going to assume that since you don’t know the name of the largest state in Australia you also have never tried Kangaroo meat, it is the definition of an acquired taste; that is the reason Kangaroo meat is not popular, we wouldn’t have a problem eating a “nation icon” if it tasted alright.
“Thanks Michael, I just fixed that.”
“the authors of the University of South Wales study”
You did it twice…
August 12th, 2008 at 9:43 am
What’s kangaroo meat taste like? And if you say “chicken” just to be cute, I hope you get dugg down into oblivion.
August 12th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
The huge 24 hour -a-day CO2 producers are coal and natural gas fueled power generating stations. Eat what you will, the CO2 produced by livestock is far overshadowed by power generators. If the U.S. had chosen to be a moral people, and leaving Iraqi oil alone, and following Al Gore, decided to develop the South Western deserts, with the technology of the times – solar/thermal-molten sodium – electricity installations, for the same amount of money as that war cost, ($650 Billion), today, we would be tapping into the largest, renewable, sustainable, energy source the world has ever known. It would have paid every energy bill in the U.S.A. for maintenance fees only – FOREVER! It would be equivalent to an oil field that can NEVER run dry! Low cost electric power, and storeable hydrogen gasoline replacement from the electricity, for all!
After the millions of murders, and $650 billions of dollars, borrowed from our children’s futures and pissed away, with thousands of our own and others maimed and disfigured for life, millions of families utterly destroyed, ours and theirs, we are no closer to Iraqi oil production than the Iraqis are!
The next time you hear a blithering idiot spoiled brat, drunken, drug addicted, sociopath, rich Arabic saber dancing daddie’s boy oilman, stand at a microphone and threaten YOUR safety with someone ELSE’S weapons, remember what you lost America, remember, and weep! (also see http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=a-solar-grand-plan)
August 12th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
I’m always amazed by the anger elicited by suggesting that becoming vegetarian is am ethical, and definitely more triumphant solution to global warming.
It seems people don’t like to be reminded that they are doing evil by eating animals which were tortured until being murdered(unless you eat humanely, organically “free ranged” animals).
There’s nothing wrong with pointing out truth, “annoying as it is to hear.” It’s cow meat is tasty, but so is human baby meat, the “taste factor” isn’t an excuse.
If you have empathy, when eating meat becomes conscious, as oppsed to habitual, it become impossible.
August 12th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
The biggest problem with that is – kangaroo tastes terrible!!!
I’m serious. I’ve eaten it, and it is extremely gamey and tough. No thanks.
August 13th, 2008 at 1:15 am
I live in Australia and it’s hard to find kangaroo meat and when you do, it’s expensive.
In certain parts of the country, they are in pest proportions and need to be culled. Do I see a steak out of that? No.
Kangaroo is also a superior and lean meat compared to beef.
Plus they wear jackets, steal money and you can ride about in their pouches.
August 13th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Kangaroo meat has been the preferred red meat for discerning Australian diners for the last 40,000 years.
But seriously, it is a straight swap for beef – anything that works with beef works with kangaroo. It’s these little steps in the right direction that make the larger, harder ones (like driving smaller cars) easier to sell to the general public.
August 15th, 2008 at 7:11 am
[...] Luckily we Australia only needs 175m Kangaroos to produce the same amount of meat as that currently harvested from rangelands. (Via CleanTechnica). [...]
April 7th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Uncle B, I’m curious as to what your source is. According to the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC), agriculture is the leading contributor of greenhouse gases. Note that is not just CO2, but includes other gases like methane, which the panel suggests is far more potent.
Please note that livestock also is environmentally damaging in that it is inefficient- we generally hvae to farm food to feed the livestock we eat. Look to your biology courses for why it’s inefficient to eat other animals (or a physics course, if you want the real basics). The basics of it is degrees of seperation from your energy source. If your food passes through an animal and you eat the animal, some of the energy goes to the animal.
I am also curious as to the source for the multiple claims that basically stated “we’re supposed to eat meat.” I will not argue that we are capable of eating meat to some degree, but I would argue the that we’re “supposed to,” as that’s just a vague claim. I’ve also heard the claim that humans are “supposed to” do whatever they want with the earth. What’s the basis for “supposed to”?
So, back to the topic at hand. Kangaroo meat is more environmentally friendly than cow’s meat, so power to you for making the switch. Just realize there are a host of environmental and ethical problems with kangaroo meat anyway, so if you’re already altering your life style, consider at least a few vegetarian meals a week. (There may or may not be health problems associated with kangaroo meat, I’ve not read any specific study).
As for making the whole earth vegetarian, I thought we agreed it was one step at a time? I recommend you try a few vegetarian meals a week. If you’d like to look into it, I’d love to see an article on the impacts of eating vegetarian one day a week (so three meals).
April 28th, 2009 at 10:27 am
I find frustrated ranty absolute demands to change behaviour do not make for a good argument and are q quick way to being ignored, so please try a bit harder.
Unsupported statements of fact are better, but not great “Just realize there are a host of environmental and ethical problems with kangaroo meat anyway”, got a reference on that Shanti?
We have the canines, incisors and molars of meat and vegetable eating omnivores. We can process the proteins and fats into meat into useful energy. Is meat the only way to get that? No. Is meat easy and flavoursome? Yes. Is lots of meat bad for us? Yes.
Kangaroo is tasty when prepared right, but that is a different way to most popular meats with high fat content (hot fat and oil carries flavour). It doesn’t work as burgers or sausage, because they rely on high fat content for texture as well as flavour.
Coles sells marinated roo steak and kebabs which are cheaper than the other meats except the cheap low quality cuts. There is not a large supply as skippy is too cute for many and cooking it is probably too hard for many others so they are put off by first efforts.
I think the RSPCA has reviewed and supports the current commercial harvesting method by professional shooters (not the half-arsed beer swilling yobo’s often portrayed as “roo shooters”).