Should we kill dromedaries to save the climate?
Australia proposes to slaughter dromedaries, which emit too much methane. "A false and stupid solution" according to scientists
In Australia, shooting dromedaries is becoming a green act. In any case, it is one of the first initiatives launched under the government's Carbon Farming Initiative.
One tonne of CO2 equivalent per year
Since their introduction in the nineteenth century, dromedaries have become so acclimated to the Australian desert that they would be more than a million in the wild. Like livestock, these herbivores fart a lot: according to Northwestern Carbon, each animal emits 45 kilograms of methane per year, or one tonne of CO2 equivalent.
Killing a dromedary would, according to the calculations of this company, avoid 15 tons of carbon equivalent, and contribute in this respect to the fight against global warming. The Carbon Farming Initiative project offers farmers the opportunity to trade the remains for carbon credits, which could yield around 50 euros.
Eradicated "in an inhumane way"
"This is a false and stupid solution," responded the International Society for Research and Development of Camels (ISCRD). This organization disputes the population estimates of camels in Australia and their contribution to greenhouse gases. "Camels represent less than 1% of ruminant herbivores in the world," recalls the ISCRD. They should be "seen as wealth" in arid areas, rather than being "inhumanly" eradicated.
Source: Metro http://bit.ly/lwGIn9
