• DarthFrodo@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The issue with using byproducts as animal fodder is that ruminants produce a lot of methane while digesting them. This enteric fermentation in their stomachs accounts for around 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions, while the entire aviation industry sits at just 2-3%. If we give them more food that is harder to digest, they’ll emit even more methane per animal.

      Biofuels make a lot of sense though. After extracting the fuel, the remaining digestate can be used to produce biochar or be put directly on fields as fertilizer, which is nice because synthetic fertilizers account for 1-2% of greenhouse gas emissions.

      Another option is to burn the byproducts for heat or electricity in winter during short periods when there’s not enough wind and solar power to cover energy demand.

        • DarthFrodo@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          I heard about studies that successfully used algae to inhibit methane-producing microbes in the short term, but I couldn’t find any studies that prove its long term efficacy yet. It’ll be interesting to see whether the microbes can adapt to the algae in the long term or not.

            • DarthFrodo@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              For things like steak, I agree. Unfortunately it will take many years to become affordable for the average person, but when it happens, it will be awesome.

              For many other categories, plant-based alternatives are already close enough for me. I recently tried the store brand plant based Schnitzel from Lidl (a supermarket/discounter chain here in Germany) and it was surprisingly tasty, given that it doesn’t even cost more than factory farmed meat by now.

              There are decent burgers, nuggets, kebab, chicken and salami alternatives around as well. It’s crazy how much the taste, price and availability of these products have improved in the last 10 years alone. I don’t miss real meat by now.

    • Rhaedas@fedia.io
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      1 year ago

      Sun worship is considered the most primitive of religions, and yet that’s where everything comes from. Everything. From food to heat to energy. Even fossil fuels is captured sunlight from the past, and radioactive material for nuclear power is from ancient supernovae. Everything. All praise the Sun!

        • Rhaedas@fedia.io
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          1 year ago

          Correct. Which is a supporting argument that life and intelligence might be a new thing in the universe, that it took a few billion years to just get through a few cycles of birth and death of stars to create the heavier elements needed. We could be one of the first examples.

          Doesn’t rule out the Great Filter as still a thing, new life that expands too quickly and uses up resources can still kill itself in the process.

  • AVincentInSpace@pawb.social
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    1 year ago

    I do tire of explaining to vegans that differences in soil quality mean that crops fit for human consumption cannot be grown everywhere and that making the best use of the land available often involves turning it into food via an intermediary

  • buzz86us@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Hemp needs to be used for a lot more things since it is a very versatile plant… I can’t imagine living in Louisiana with the horrible ethane cracker plants.