Where's the beef?

Many people don't understand that air pollution is a real thing. Our cars, our factories, and other energy users contribute to that.

I guess that younger people of today would be surprised that this nation once elected a former actor in terrible movies to serve as its president for two terms! That obscure historical figure was known as Ronald Reagan. He was very good at playing the role of president and was effective at reading the words others wrote for him.  When he used his own words, he revealed himself to be living in a land far from the facts.

Take this one: In 1981, Reagan said that trees produce more air pollution than automobiles. This was based on someone having told him that forests do produce volatile organic compounds and stinky hydrocarbons that form part of air pollution.  BUT he must have stepped out for more jelly beans when the speaker went on to say that this happens because of other substances reacting to the tree emissions...and those other substances are the results of things such as car exhaust. 

You have to wonder if there was so much air pollution in the days before mechanized transportation. When we went from place to place on horses, the only source of foul air was old Stewball.

Today, science figures that 3.9% of US global greenhouse gas emissions comes from livestock. You wouldn't think that cow flatulence was such a big problem, unless you ever tried to walk barefoot across a pasture.  Then you'd know!

Leave it to the good people over at Burger King. They have come up with a solution. They are going to add lemongrass to the daily diet Old Bessie enjoys as she dines out in the field, waiting for her chance to star in a Whopper.

The new patty that results from the new diet will be available only for a short time at select locations in Miami, New York, Austin, Portland and Los Angeles.

The guess is that eating lemongrass will reduce about a third of methane emissions (!) as the bovines await their day at the abattoir.

It's not only because some feel that meat is bad for them...some also gave up real filet mignon for plant-based "meat" because of environmental concerns. Using Impossible Burgers leads to 89% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than patties from cow’s beef.

If there is a more ludicrous oxymoron than "plant-based beef," it might be "resident alien," but that's "old news."