Are human farts contributing to global warming?

Question

Should there be a national anti-fart campaign?

Answer 1

Humans may produce tiny amounts of greenhouse gasses from their flatulance, as do cattle to a much larger degree. But neither of these occurences is actually "contributing to global warming". The reason why this is, is because the gas in our and cattles farts/burps is a biproduct of consuming food. In the case of cattle this food is grass and before this grass is consumed it actually removed carbon from the environment as part of its growth. Weather the cattle/human farts methane, or weather the grass were left to rot and emit its carbon through decomposition, either route green house gasses are still being re-released back into the environment. In fact, the fact that some of that carbon is stored into the meat of the cattle there is actually less greenhouse gas released via consumption and conversion, then via the rot of the original vegetation. The only compounding problem is that methane is a worse offending greenhouse gas then carbon so the problem is not that it is being released, but that the methane is not being captured. If captured this methane would be a "renewable gas" in that it could be burnt by humans thus being converted into atmospheric carbon and reabsorbed into the plants that cows would eat and converted into milk, meat and more renewable gas, and around and around. A gas is only a negative influence on global climate change if it is being released from the Earth's stored carbon sources. If it is part of a cycle which recycles carbon through living organisms then it has a net zero effect on global climate change.

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Are human farts contributing to global warming?
Should there be a national anti-fart campaign?

Answer 3

As someone who researches this topic, I want to correct some errors. First, it is primarily eructations, burps, that cause the majority of methane emissions from cows, not farts. Second, the response by berickf is wrong. The fact that methane is being released instead of carbon dioxide by plant decomposition is an issue and does contribute to increased greenhouse gas (GHG) levels and global warming. Methane (CH4) is a stronger GHG than carbon dioxide, so when a plant absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere for its growth and then this carbon is ultimately returned to the atmosphere in the form of methane via cow burps we are essentially switching out CO2 for CH4, and given CH4 is stronger than CO2 it is a net negative affect. Fossil fuels are not the only GHG emissions of concern, peatlands release a lot of CH4 as well. This was stored carbon that is now released as CH4, a more powerful gas than if CO2 was released.

As far as limiting the emissions of CH4 from cows, there is a lot of research on the topic and depending on what you feed cows you can reduce the amount of CH4 they produce. BUT, you must examine all areas on the farm. Creating more GHG elsewhere to reduce CH4 from the cows burps does not help the situation.

Answer 4

Do Humans Fart Methane

Answer 5

Actually, you're not to far off, but the main producers of farts are cattle. They are researching away to keep cows from farting. Cows release the most methane.

Answer 6

Probably, farmers in New Zealand are charged a tax on their farm cows farting

Answer 7

Thank you all for your answers and opinions.

Answer 8

I'll tell you if you pull my finger.... snicker snicker

Answer 9

well i think that depends on the population growth rate

Answer 10

not if you don't light them.