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It gets pretty cold this time of year in Tibet. For centuries, the solution to this problem was a win-win: just burn that huge pile of yak dung that’s been accumulating all summer.
For millions of nomadic Tibetans, it’s a system that works. But that system comes at a hefty cost. Tibetan homes have some of the worst indoor air pollution in the world, and the soot the dung fires release is a big contributor to climate change.....
A recent study showed that black carbon, emitted from the incomplete combustion of fuels for cookstoves and other sources, like motor vehicle exhaust, has been severely underestimated in global climate models. It may represent the second leading cause of global warming, next to carbon dioxide, though CO2 is far ahead of it. That ranking was reflected in the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which puts the warming effect of black carbon on par with methane. (And yes, if you must, this means the impact of burning animal dung is now on par with cow farts. It seems that pretty much all aspects of that whole digestion thing aren’t great for global warming.)
For millions of nomadic Tibetans, it’s a system that works. But that system comes at a hefty cost. Tibetan homes have some of the worst indoor air pollution in the world, and the soot the dung fires release is a big contributor to climate change.....
A recent study showed that black carbon, emitted from the incomplete combustion of fuels for cookstoves and other sources, like motor vehicle exhaust, has been severely underestimated in global climate models. It may represent the second leading cause of global warming, next to carbon dioxide, though CO2 is far ahead of it. That ranking was reflected in the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which puts the warming effect of black carbon on par with methane. (And yes, if you must, this means the impact of burning animal dung is now on par with cow farts. It seems that pretty much all aspects of that whole digestion thing aren’t great for global warming.)
Next thing you know they will make ruminants illegal.
In B4 "you can have my cow when you pry her out of my cold, dead fingers."
