THE GREEN PLANET BLOG - Our World and Environment...

All about conservation, ecology, the environment, climate change, global warming, earth- watch, and new technologies etc.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Have to stop NZ ruminants from belching and farting



Lot of hot wind - NZ Flatulence innoculation for sheep being developed...

New Zealand scientists claim to have developed a "flatulence inoculation" aimed at cutting down on the massive amount of methane produced by its sheep and cows.



Sheep, cattle, goats and deer produce large quantities of gas through belching.

Such animals are believed to be responsible for more than half of the country's greenhouse gases, causing huge environmental problems.



And Phil Goff said recently:


But Phil Goff, New Zealand's trade minister, told an Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) in Paris yesterday that a solution was in sight.

"Our agricultural research organisation just last week was able to map the genome ... that causes methane in ruminant animals and we believe we can vaccinate against" flatulent emissions, Mr Goff said.

Scientists in New Zealand have been working around-the-clock to reduce emissions from agriculture, such as changing the way fertilisers are used on pasture land, Mr Goff added.

Sheep, cattle, goats and deer produce large quantities of gas through belching and flatulence, as their multiple stomachs digest grass.

Ruminants are responsible for about 25 per cent of the methane produced in Britain, but in countries with a large agricultural sector, the proportion is much higher.

The 45 million sheep and 10 million cattle in New Zealand burped and farted about 90 percent of that country's methane emissions, according to government figures.

In comparison, livestock are responsible for about two per cent of the United States's greenhouse gas emissions, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Under the Kyoto Protocol to combat global warming, New Zealand must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.

In the past New Zealand's farmers have showed their disgust at government plans to impose an animal "flatulence tax" by sending parcels of manure to members of parliament.

The OECD conference is discussing climate change, trade and the global economy.

Acknowledgement: Peter Allen in Paris.

Flatulence

Labels: , , , ,

Sunday, February 15, 2009

The time for the Zenn - but exactly when...


The founder of a Canadian- made fully 100% electric car(the Zenn)says the Canadian Government is blocking him from selling the cars in Canada, despite the fact they have been sold in the US and Mexico for some time. The Zenn is an acrymon for Zero Emission No Noise.

Has the Canadian Government made a deal with another manufacturer?

Zenn is only a small company in Saint-Jerome, just north of Montreal. The car was founded by a Toronto entrepreneur named Ian Clifford in 2001 - at a time other companies were still obsessed by SUV's.

The Zenn company has developed a model that uses a revolutionary ultra-capacitor, not the usual battery.

The updated model, the so-called 'City Zenn', will have a top speed of 125 kpm, a range of 400 km, and a phenomenal recharge time of only five minutes. The estimated ticket price is only $30,000.

But after a little research I have discovered a fly in the ointment, a problem with the delivery of the ultra-capacitor which was originally promised for 2007, then again in 2008. The capacitor could actually be worth $2 billion annually to Zenn by 2013.

There appears also to be a bureaucratic problem to get Zenn approved for use on the roads, because it is a new class of vehicle, not the typical LSV class.

Read here

Labels: , , , ,

Meerkats are not related to cats at all...


Meerkats are not related to cats at all. Read further:

Meerkats are described as being a type of Mongoose. The name Meerkat originates from Afrikaans the old Dutch language of South Africa. The English translation is marsh cat. Actually they don't live near marshes and are certainly not related to cats at all!

The proper scientific name is Suricata Surricata(Class -mamalia,Order - carnivora,Family - viviradae).

They were reportedly first named in 1776. There are three species of Meerkat. It is suspected that there may be a fourth, but further research is necessary to prove this and details will be available later.

Read more

Labels: , , , ,

posted by Unknown @ 2:50 PM 0 Comments

Monday, February 9, 2009

The tragic bushfires in Victoria, Australia are climate change related...


The terrible bushfires in Victoria that have claimed so many lives and caused damage to homes and buildings and wiped out some small townships in Australia during recent days, are undoubtably climate change related. While it is the 'season' for bushfires in southern Australia, the temperatures have been much higher than usual - reaching the mid 40's C. The hot air has crossed the Tasman Sea to eastern areas of New Zealand creating temperatures in the 40's C too! This is inexplicably high by New Zealand standards. The mid 30's is incredibly hot in New Zealand.

A radio news report a couple of days ago claimed the hot winds that have caused the bushfires in Victoria, South Australia, western NSW and now in NZ, emanate from the Indian Ocean, and could be a permanent part of the weather pattern at this time of year. Australian PM Kevin Rudd claimed that "Hell" had visited Australia!

I have not done any technical research at this stage, but will add a link when I have done so. New Zealand firefighters should be sent over to victoria in a couple of days to help their Australian counterparts.

Labels: , , , ,

posted by Unknown @ 4:18 PM 3 Comments