Red seaweed supplementation reduces enteric methane by over 80% in beef steers • Hacker News Board

Re: Red seaweed supplementation reduces enteric methane by over 80% in beef steers

#31

Post by klmadfejno » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 2:15 PM UTC

airhead969 wrote: post #4

This is like improving ICEs to enable their continued existence. To what end? How about eliminating meat ag altogether since it's a waste of resources, a significant component of man-made climate change, a pandemic risk, a major source of pollution, driver of deforestation, and poses a threat to antibiotic resistance? But no, the typical rationalizations include: "Muh cheezburger is muh freedom. I can eat whatever I…

You could start by not representing people who eat meat as stereotypical fat redneck americans, which, in addition to just being baseline offensive, is hardly a dominant trait among people who eat meat.

Re: Red seaweed supplementation reduces enteric methane by over 80% in beef steers

#32

Post by yboris » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 2:15 PM UTC

Eric_WVGG wrote: post #11

j-pb wrote: post #6

I guess everything helps, but we put so much effort into the problems with easy solutions, that could be invested into the difficult stuff. Livestock contributes to 15% of all greenhouse gasses. But the solution is easy, cheap, and only midly inconvenient. Going vegan. This has the added benefit of protecting threatened ecosystems in the rainforrest and seas. We could then spend that energy on the difficult stuff. Fa…

The solution is easy, cheap, and only mildly inconvenient. Feed cattle some seaweed.

It doesn't solve the problem of dealing with water runoff pollution. Or air pollution (seaweed is not a 100% reduction). Or ethical problems with wellbeing of animals. Or health concerns of eating too much meat.

Re: Red seaweed supplementation reduces enteric methane by over 80% in beef steers

#33

Post by CarelessExpert » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 2:16 PM UTC

j-pb wrote: post #6

I guess everything helps, but we put so much effort into the problems with easy solutions, that could be invested into the difficult stuff. Livestock contributes to 15% of all greenhouse gasses. But the solution is easy, cheap, and only midly inconvenient. Going vegan. This has the added benefit of protecting threatened ecosystems in the rainforrest and seas. We could then spend that energy on the difficult stuff. Fa…

This reasoning is flawed in the same way recycling is flawed: it puts all the responsibility on individuals to change their behaviour rather than government or industry using their greater leverage to change the system itself.

And it'll work just as well.

If you want to stop people eating meat, the solution is to tax it so that the price of the good reflects its true cost. But that ain't gonna happen. So the least we can do is clean up the production and supply chains to reduce those externalized costs.

Re: Red seaweed supplementation reduces enteric methane by over 80% in beef steers

#34

Post by jamesgreenleaf » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 2:16 PM UTC

airhead969 wrote: post #4

This is like improving ICEs to enable their continued existence. To what end? How about eliminating meat ag altogether since it's a waste of resources, a significant component of man-made climate change, a pandemic risk, a major source of pollution, driver of deforestation, and poses a threat to antibiotic resistance? But no, the typical rationalizations include: "Muh cheezburger is muh freedom. I can eat whatever I…

You're essentially correct, and (I think) being downvoted for the tone of your rhetoric, which could be phrased in a more pleasing and convincing way. Also, most of us do love cheeseburgers, unhealthy though they may be.

Either way, humanity hasn't matured enough for this viewpoint to be considered common sense. Give us another few centuries.

Re: Red seaweed supplementation reduces enteric methane by over 80% in beef steers

#35

Post by ReadFList » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 2:17 PM UTC

airhead969 wrote: post #4

This is like improving ICEs to enable their continued existence. To what end? How about eliminating meat ag altogether since it's a waste of resources, a significant component of man-made climate change, a pandemic risk, a major source of pollution, driver of deforestation, and poses a threat to antibiotic resistance? But no, the typical rationalizations include: "Muh cheezburger is muh freedom. I can eat whatever I…

How about we keep eating locally produced meat because it's healthy, far more than those "fake" meats that are no more than vegetable oils, estrogen from soy and the likes, and chemicals to add flavour, and instead reduce waste? Do you really think that the increase in vegetable prodution would not have any environmental impact? We grow them out of the air?

And ICE should continue to exist to make sure we stop at the border all those who break the law to try to entering a country. No country owes any right to foreigners to enter illegally. Let them fix their countries first :)

Re: Red seaweed supplementation reduces enteric methane by over 80% in beef steers

#36

Post by Robotbeat » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 2:17 PM UTC

HDMI_Cable wrote: post #14

airhead969 wrote: post #4

This is like improving ICEs to enable their continued existence. To what end? How about eliminating meat ag altogether since it's a waste of resources, a significant component of man-made climate change, a pandemic risk, a major source of pollution, driver of deforestation, and poses a threat to antibiotic resistance? But no, the typical rationalizations include: "Muh cheezburger is muh freedom. I can eat whatever I…

To be fair, improving ICEs have been a massive help for mitigating climate change. Going from 60s muscle cars to current day hybrids has undoubtedly helped with NOx emissions. Adding algae to feed might not get rid of meat production altogether, but it is a good transitional step.

I suppose, but it has also enabled larger and larger vehicles compared to the small vehicles of the late 70s. SUVs have never been more popular.

To defeat Jevons Paradox (where greater efficiency just means more of the thing is consumed, making it potentially even worse than before), you gotta electrify everything. Perhaps even meat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jevons_paradox

Re: Red seaweed supplementation reduces enteric methane by over 80% in beef steers

#37

Post by j-pb » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 2:17 PM UTC

calvinmorrison wrote: post #16

j-pb wrote: post #6

I guess everything helps, but we put so much effort into the problems with easy solutions, that could be invested into the difficult stuff. Livestock contributes to 15% of all greenhouse gasses. But the solution is easy, cheap, and only midly inconvenient. Going vegan. This has the added benefit of protecting threatened ecosystems in the rainforrest and seas. We could then spend that energy on the difficult stuff. Fa…

So we could all go vegan, skip off our normal diets, a huge change to the world OR china could stop running their very dirty coal plants. Please stop making everything _my_ problem when other countries do not give a rats ass.

All coal plants produce the same amount of CO2, the dirtyness is inly related to micro-particles.

The richest countries are the reason for climate change. We've lived way past what is sustainable for a hundred years, and now you want to blame it on somebody else?

Sure, everything but taking personal responsibility...

Re: Red seaweed supplementation reduces enteric methane by over 80% in beef steers

#38

Post by ars » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 2:17 PM UTC

kleton wrote: post #2

The active ingredient is bromoform, which might even be cheaper to dose than the raw algae.

Bromoform is incredibly toxic, and possibly even a carcinogen.

But if you feed them seaweed then it's suddenly all natural. /s

That might be why. But in seriousness, I'm not so OK with feeding animals bromoform or seaweed for that matter if that's a common component.

Re: Red seaweed supplementation reduces enteric methane by over 80% in beef steers

#39

Post by yboris » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 2:17 PM UTC

calvinmorrison wrote: post #16

j-pb wrote: post #6

I guess everything helps, but we put so much effort into the problems with easy solutions, that could be invested into the difficult stuff. Livestock contributes to 15% of all greenhouse gasses. But the solution is easy, cheap, and only midly inconvenient. Going vegan. This has the added benefit of protecting threatened ecosystems in the rainforrest and seas. We could then spend that energy on the difficult stuff. Fa…

So we could all go vegan, skip off our normal diets, a huge change to the world OR china could stop running their very dirty coal plants. Please stop making everything _my_ problem when other countries do not give a rats ass.

Where's that American aim of being #1 ("exceptional") in ways like "ethically good" or "world leader taking the world into a better future"? Why is it now "well, others are doing bad things, we may as well pollute the shit of the planet too"?

Re: Red seaweed supplementation reduces enteric methane by over 80% in beef steers

#40

Post by etu » Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 2:17 PM UTC

calvinmorrison wrote: post #16

j-pb wrote: post #6

I guess everything helps, but we put so much effort into the problems with easy solutions, that could be invested into the difficult stuff. Livestock contributes to 15% of all greenhouse gasses. But the solution is easy, cheap, and only midly inconvenient. Going vegan. This has the added benefit of protecting threatened ecosystems in the rainforrest and seas. We could then spend that energy on the difficult stuff. Fa…

So we could all go vegan, skip off our normal diets, a huge change to the world OR china could stop running their very dirty coal plants. Please stop making everything _my_ problem when other countries do not give a rats ass.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/09/chinas-appetit...

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