Feeding cows seaweed cuts 99% of greenhouse gas emissions from their burps • Hacker News Board

Re: Feeding cows seaweed cuts 99% of greenhouse gas emissions from their burps

#41

Post by zwieback » Mon, Nov 05, 2018, 9:04 PM UTC

jayalpha wrote: post #32

zwieback wrote: post #21

I wonder if it affects the flavor of the milk.

For sure it does. People in Europe pay a premium for "high mountains cow milk" ("Alpenmilch"). I had the impression that US milk has no taste but always thought it's just in my mind. But when I was in Colombia I met a guy from Switzerland who studied in Canada and said:"Oh wow, the milk here really tastes good like in Europe. Not like in Canada." So the milk in Europe and North America must indeed taste different. It…

The different milks in my US region (Pacific North West) definitely have different flavors but I have no idea if it's due to what they graze on or other stuff they are fed.

Re: Feeding cows seaweed cuts 99% of greenhouse gas emissions from their burps

#42

Post by darawk » Mon, Nov 05, 2018, 9:05 PM UTC

I've been seeing this same story for what feels like a decade now. Anyone know why this hasn't been implemented yet?

Re: Feeding cows seaweed cuts 99% of greenhouse gas emissions from their burps

#43

Post by noetic_techy » Mon, Nov 05, 2018, 9:08 PM UTC

But does it change the taste of the meat? This is the real question and a deal breaker for many.

Grass fed meat is gamy than grain fed/finished, so I can imagine seaweed imparts an fishy taste to the fat and probably to the milk also.

Re: Feeding cows seaweed cuts 99% of greenhouse gas emissions from their burps

#44

Post by radiusvector » Mon, Nov 05, 2018, 9:08 PM UTC

This just feels like propaganda from the meat industry. For every bit of scientific research touting the demerits of industrial-scale farming, the meat industry is incentivized to fight back.

Re: Feeding cows seaweed cuts 99% of greenhouse gas emissions from their burps

#45

Post by theptip » Mon, Nov 05, 2018, 9:12 PM UTC

sparrc wrote: post #37

avar wrote: post #30

This is a perfect example of why "sin taxes" like the proposed tax on meat[1][2] to fight climate change are a bad idea. You need to tax the externality (greenhouse gas emissions), not an activity which currently causes such emissions, because then you don't have any incentives left (such as in this case) for industries to reduce those emissions. 1. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/11/meat-tax... 2. h…

That gets a bit more complicated though, greenhouse gas emissions through burping is just one of the many impacts cattle have on the planet: land usage, water usage, manure (harms water supplies, runoff, release gasses, etc), and then you have the knock-on impacts of all the feed that needs to be produced to feed them.

Your point is correct, but you can apply it in the other direction; adding a sin tax also has knock-on effects and often produce unexpected market distortions.

I think your point just argues for pricing in more externalities, rather than abandoning the goal of pricing them and using even more opaque sin taxes instead.

Re: Feeding cows seaweed cuts 99% of greenhouse gas emissions from their burps

#46

Post by matthewmacleod » Mon, Nov 05, 2018, 9:12 PM UTC

radiusvector wrote: post #44

This just feels like propaganda from the meat industry. For every bit of scientific research touting the demerits of industrial-scale farming, the meat industry is incentivized to fight back.

That's great though! If the action that the "meat industry" takes is action that reduces its environmental impact, then we win!

Re: Feeding cows seaweed cuts 99% of greenhouse gas emissions from their burps

#47

Post by asdff » Mon, Nov 05, 2018, 9:15 PM UTC

darawk wrote: post #42

I've been seeing this same story for what feels like a decade now. Anyone know why this hasn't been implemented yet?

>Anyone know why this hasn't been implemented yet?

The same story for anything. The market pressure to precipitate this change isn't there yet.

Re: Feeding cows seaweed cuts 99% of greenhouse gas emissions from their burps

#48

Post by aplummer » Mon, Nov 05, 2018, 9:16 PM UTC

sparrc wrote: post #37

avar wrote: post #30

This is a perfect example of why "sin taxes" like the proposed tax on meat[1][2] to fight climate change are a bad idea. You need to tax the externality (greenhouse gas emissions), not an activity which currently causes such emissions, because then you don't have any incentives left (such as in this case) for industries to reduce those emissions. 1. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/11/meat-tax... 2. h…

That gets a bit more complicated though, greenhouse gas emissions through burping is just one of the many impacts cattle have on the planet: land usage, water usage, manure (harms water supplies, runoff, release gasses, etc), and then you have the knock-on impacts of all the feed that needs to be produced to feed them.

This was ops point, if you tax the emissions only people can innovate and reduce emissions in all these areas to the same effect.

Re: Feeding cows seaweed cuts 99% of greenhouse gas emissions from their burps

#49

Post by beagle3 » Mon, Nov 05, 2018, 9:16 PM UTC

jayalpha wrote: post #32

zwieback wrote: post #21

I wonder if it affects the flavor of the milk.

For sure it does. People in Europe pay a premium for "high mountains cow milk" ("Alpenmilch"). I had the impression that US milk has no taste but always thought it's just in my mind. But when I was in Colombia I met a guy from Switzerland who studied in Canada and said:"Oh wow, the milk here really tastes good like in Europe. Not like in Canada." So the milk in Europe and North America must indeed taste different. It…

If you are in New York city (especially Manhattan), you can often get RonnyBrook milk at the Union Square farmer's market and various stores around Manhattan - it tastes so much better you might think it's a different class of drink.

It's grass fed; if you buy it in the farmer's market, it's a couple of days fresh; and they care about their cows. I bought a bottle once, which didn't taste as good as usual, and when I told the guy at the market (he actually raises and cares for the cows), he took notes to figure out which cow was unhappy/unwell.

Not affiliated, was just a satisfied customer until I moved out of NYC (and now have no good milk available :( )

Re: Feeding cows seaweed cuts 99% of greenhouse gas emissions from their burps

#50

Post by seba_dos1 » Mon, Nov 05, 2018, 9:17 PM UTC

prudhvirajs wrote: post #25

Can't a cow just eat what it wants?? Why put it on some superficial diet ?? is it not equal to saying all humans should eat one type of food to reduce global warming ?

Humans should actually adjust their diet to reduce global warming and there's nothing wrong in saying that - that's one of the most effective methods of influence.

I'm not a vegetarian, but I live with one and I eat really small amounts of meat now compared to what I used to. I have no issues with that whatsoever, it's often even better and tastier this way, despite of me being a vegetable hater. I really can't see a reason why people so ridiculously defend their meat meals like they're addicted.