Too much meat, too much nitrogen
The human race is responsible for too much nitrogen being produced, which threatens the environment in a number of different ways, all potentially devastating. The primary causes, according to this very interesting BBC article, are the overconsumption of meat and chemical fertilisers used in intensive farming.
Policies to reduce nitrates in water have banned wintertime spreading of farm manures across much of Europe’s farmland. The focus on springtime manure spreading has intensified peak ammonia emissions, giving a new threat to biodiversity and air quality. Most organic gardeners in the West, as yet unrestrained by this governmental stupidity, continue to be well aware that manure is best applied from October through to December. By doing so, its breakdown is much slower and emissions from its decay dramatically reduced when compared to applications from March onwards.
tags: carbon, composting, emissions, environment, global warming, intensive farming, manure, nitrogen, toxicityYou can’t have it both ways, Mr Brown
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown will give his first major speech on the environment today. He will say action on climate change is urgent, and new green industries could create thousands of jobs. Yet plans for a third runway at Heathrow continue to move ahead despite protests by local people and environmental activists.
The prime minister is also expected to say that developed countries must lead the way in cutting carbon emissions. We’ve heard this before of course, and talk is cheap (although talking and breathing both produce CO2, making it possible to argue that if the PM is not going to make things better by opening his mouth, he should keep it shut).
tags: air travel, carbon, environment, global warming, landfill, politics
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