THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES

The irrational war on human carbon emissions now threatens the cattle industry with serious collateral damage. If carbon emissions are bad for the planet, as alleged by the global warming alarmists, then in the matter of being environmental sinners, cows are almost as bad as humans. By her belching and flatulence, ol’ Betsy produces about 200 litres of methane per day. This means that cattle produce more greenhouse gas than the entire human transport system. No “carbon pollution reduction schemes” can afford to ignore the problem of methane emitted from both ends of a cow.

The Chairman of the International Panel of Climate Change (IPCC), Ranjendrak Panchauri, recently declared that we could all help save the planet from destructive global warming by not eating meat one day a week. The IPCC’s loyal Australian acolyte, Dr. Ross Garnaut, has even seriously proposed, in his Climate Change report to the Rudd Federal Government, that Australia could dramatically reduce its carbon emissions by replacing its cattle herds with kangaroos - a proposal that might even put Dr. Garnaut in the running to be nominated as Australian of the year!

Environmental authorities (both appointed and self-appointed) are now saying that cattle must eventually be included in any equitable carbon trading scheme. The Kiwis across the Tasman have already dubbed this the “Fart Tax.” If carbon emissions were to be traded at $40 per ton, this would amount to a $70 p.a. impost on each head of cattle. This would make paying GST for your meat look like paying peanuts….ah forget it, why not become a vegetarian and eat peanuts instead? But if flatulence must now be reckoned with in global warming, why not ban baked beans?

This brings us to the real point about the IPCC’s war on human industrial civilization under the guise of a war on carbon emissions. With claims of support from 2,500 scientists and a Nobel Prize to boot, the IPCC is the undisputed Emperor of Global Warming Hysteria. Now that it wants to save the planet from the natural farting process of animals that have been around for millions of years, its pretence to sober science has descended from the ridiculous to the ludicrous. Ordinary people using some common sense are now being bold enough to state the obvious: the Emperor has no clothes.