Energy
Energy
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Net Zero and Carbon Credits Exposed for all to See!
Net Zero and Carbon Credits are both concepts that allow polluters to continue to pollute. Fact.
Both ideas have been drawn up to not rock the boat, yet to appear as though governments are doing something about global warming. The glaring problem with Net Zero and Carbon Credits are the words “net” and “credits”.
https://www.efeca.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/UK-RTSS-APR-2021.pdf
I’m writing this because today I learned that an estate in Leicestershire will earn £120,000 by farming sustainably. Every farmer should be farming sustainably. There’s a dark side to the £120,000 though. The farm in question is selling the carbon credits. Some are being bought by the Mercedes Benz formula one team so that they can claim in time to becoming a net zero racing outfit. In other words Mercedes Benz are buying Net Zero and Carbon Credits to improve their status whilst still producing the same level of CO2. And remember CO2 production is cumulative not annually turned over. Net Zero and Carbon Credits are misleading.
Im typing stuff just for the sake of typing the words net zero and carbon credits. Well boo its worked 605 waords
We must also realise that the carbon capture calculations on the farm do not include the sale off farm of carbon as meat. Lambs and Beef. Additionally the Methane produced by those beef animals and sheep is not counted in the equation.
Claims in farming that well managed pasture for example on a dairy farm absorb as much carbon as the rainforest each year may indeed be true, but it is not the full picture. In fact it is grossly misleading. Why? Carbon is also output from each hectare of land. It intensive dairy farming large quantities on nitrogenous fertiliser are used to make the grass grow faster. As the grass grows faster it absorbs more carbon. That is good isn’t it? Of itself yes, but that grass is removed, harvested to make silage or grazed for milk. The milk, meat and animal carcasses are removed from the farm and as they are consumed Carbon Dioxide is released. At the input end, the nitrogenous fertiliser is made from Oil. This releases huge amounts of CO2.
There’s more. The cows spend the winter indoors, some are indoors all year round. Their diet is made up from grass and supplementary concentrate rations. The major protein source in these rations is Soya. In a typical year each cow may eat about 400 kg of soya. Ten UK cows eat about one hectares worth of Soya each year. That’s a hectare of rainforest or Cerrado. Have a look at Net Zero and carbon Credits undressed (below). Imported animal feed farcically ain’t included in the UK Net Zero calculations.
And then there’s the Methane. Its a big part of the problem not covered by Net Zero and Carbon Credits. I have written other posts on Methane; Methane Emissions Must be Eliminated as a No 1 Priority; Bottom Trawling Destroys the Seabed and Must End Now
Net Zero and Carbon Credits Undressed
The Royal Society explain neatly what Net Zero is – What is net Zero?
Not included in the UK Net Zero calculations – Aviation, Foreign Imports and Finance. Oh dear. We are a net importer, especially of food. We are a major world player in Aviation, London is a world finance capital responsible for almost half of our GDP. Net zero here then by 2050 means nothing.
Lets look at another youtube video for Carbon Credits – What are Carbon Credits?
There we are – Net Zero and Carbon Credits Exposed for what they are, just empty political words.
The claim that it stores as much is simply incorrect.
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Methane Emissions Must be Eliminated as a No 1 Priority
Short term gains in the fight to save the planet can be made if we understand that dealing with methane emissions must be a priority 1st is best. Methane is rapidly heating up our world and some sources we can directly control.
Its is fact that Carbon Dioxide does most of the long term damage, but it is also true that Methane is over thirty times more potent than CO2. Methane also leaves the atmosphere fairly quickly, Carbon Dioxide does not.
So, where are the sources of Methane emissions?
Agriculture, decomposition of waste and fossil fuels – these are under our control and account for 60% of the Methane in the atmosphere. The majority of this is agriculture, namely livestock farming.
Wetlands are the largest natural source and there is little we can do there. However wetlands absorb methane too and vast amounts of Carbon Dioxide. Wetlands are also critical for biodiversity and home to a disproportionately large number of species:
All about Methane Emissions
Methane (CH4) is a powerful greenhouse gas, and is the second-largest contributor to climate warming after carbon dioxide (CO2). A molecule of methane traps more heat than a molecule of CO2, but methane has a relatively short lifespan of 7 to 12 years in the atmosphere, while CO2 can persist for hundreds of years or more.
Methane comes from both natural sources and human activities. An estimated 60% of today’s methane emissions are the result of human activities. The largest sources of methane are agriculture, fossil fuels, and decomposition of landfill waste. Natural processes account for 40% of methane emissions, with wetlands being the largest natural source. (Learn more about the Global Methane Budget.)
The concentration of methane in the atmosphere has more than doubled over the past 200 years. Scientists estimate that this increase is responsible for 20 to 30% of climate warming since the Industrial Revolution (which began in 1750).
Why is it that dealing with methane emissions is so critical?
We can control methane production from our agriculture simply by stopping mass production of beef and dairy products. We must still focus on Carbon Dioxide as well, but Methane should be a short term target.
Learn more about Methane heating up our world and what we know by clicking on the links below:
Our Earth and Leaf World Explained
What we now know about climate change
Also have alook at our post on Net Zero and Carbon Credits
This is why dealing with Methane Emissions is so important.
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Is Biomass Really a Sustainable Fuel ?
Is Biomass a sustainable fuel ? That’s the question.
Ash trees must not be used for firewood.
There is a good biomass case study right on our doorstep here in Yorkshire. Drax power station.
Drax was responsible for three per cent of the UKs total carbon emissions last year.
Our last coal fired power station at Ratcliffe on Soar was responsible for a quarter of that. This power station closed on Monday 30th September 2024.
Frankie Mayo, an analyst at Ember, said: “Burning wood pellets can be as bad for the environment as coal; supporting biomass with subsidies is a costly mistake.”
Fact – burning wood pellets for power generation releases more emissions for each unit of electricity generated than burning gas or coal
Is Biomass a Sustainable Fuel ?
There are some biomass articles in our Document Library relating to Drax:
If you want to learn more about what you can do change our world, join Earth and Leaf
Is Biomass a Sustainable Fuel ? – Q and A
Question
Where do the Drax biomass wood pellets come from?
Answer
North America and Canada, a little from the UK
Conclusion
How much Carbon Dioxide does Drax produce each year?
Drax directly produces 11.5 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide per year.
This figure does not include the millions of tonnes of CO2 released by felling the forests. It certainly does not include the CO2 generated building the MV Ultra Yorkshire whose sole purpose in transporting pellets from North America to the UK. Not sustainable!
How much of the electricity used in the UK does Drax produce?
Drax produces 6% of the UK electricity demand.
The jury is out. However if we spent the subsidy on home insulation we might not need the 6% of electricity produced from Drax.
I conclude in answer to the question – Is Biomass a Sustainable Fuel ? No !
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Cows Milk in our Diet – the Future
The future of cows milk in our diet is up for discussion. It is the most consumed dairy product in the world by volume and in the UK is cheaper than bottled water. By an accident of genetics, Caucasian peoples are able to digest cows milk, but many are intolerant to some degree. In contrast Asian origin people are, post infancy, unable to digest cows milk.
Founder of Earth and Leaf – Iain Dunn
“My career is founded on milk. Early on this was through the family farm. We milked about 36 cows to a bucket in traditional cowsheds. These cows frequently lived to 12 or more years of age. Later I attended Agricultural College and then University where I studied Agricultural Sciences. I am still learning about milk thirty six years later. I have spent most of my working life in the dairy industry mostly with cows but also with goats.”
Cows Milk in our Diet
Cow’s milk is not a great food source for vast numbers of people on our planet. There are good genetic reasons. This article from the BBC explains why; Why (some) humans have evolved to drink milk. This makes the future of cow’s milk a more interesting topic. It is a good reason to look at goat’s milk as an alternative. Why we Farm Cows and not Goats . . .
How is the future of goats milk compared to the future of cow’s milk?
It is good and that is a blessing for our planet. There is no future for cows milk in our diet, but it is also worth pointing out that many of the alternatives are unsustainable too.
Why not Cows ?
Quite simply it is an incredibly inefficient way to farm.
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Taking Account of Hidden Costs Results in Sustainable Food Production
Taking account of hidden costs in food production will result in sustainable food production. These hidden costs are called Externalities in traditional economics. That sounds really complicated. It isn’t.
True cost accounting is another way of looking at and evaluating these hidden costs.
This video was produced by Friends of the Earth
Economics is not taking account of externalities. In the science of economics the term externalities is used to lump together the external costs of an economic action or policy. Historically these have been difficult to measure.
These costs have to paid for eventually. This is usually by public health systems, the environment and ultimately by every single one of us. Global warming is an externality. Dealing with pollution is an externality. Another relevant example is the use of farm subsidies to make farming profitable. These subsidies are not reflected in food prices, but we pay instead through taxation.
Taking Account of Hidden Costs
Firstly this means that we will have to move to a new form of economics. The present system no longer works. Secondly we need governments to recognise this. This issue has very recently been highlighted by the United Nations. A great start! Here is a relevant article on True Cost Accounting which involves taking account of hidden costs:
