At a time when the mining boom is grinding to a halt and Queensland’s massive works budget is in trouble, the government finds the money for the things that really count:
$1 million for ‘sheep fart research’
Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin says many people don’t realise just how much cows nad sheep contribute to global warming.
“In fact, methane from livestock contributes up to 14 per cent of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions,” he said in a statement on Monday.
The thinking is that sheep flatulance is contributing to climate change, and therefore if we can do something to stop them farting so much, we will save the world.
You would think that when things get this absurd, people stop and reassess. After all, this reads like a parody of a news report, not an actual news report.
You would think a sensible chain of reasoning might go like this.
1) CO2 is causing warming.
2) humans cause CO2. we are bad! We must reduce our CO2 output.
3) but wait… humans contribute a tiny amount to CO2, which has been in the atmosphere since before humans existed
4) in fact, all animals produce CO2, from fish and wales, through to ants, butterflys, osprey, spotted iguanas, even cuddly little lambs.
5) therefore CO2, rather than being pollution that is destroying the planet, is natural and just a part of how things work.
but instead, they seem to have substituted their own step 5.
5) “sheep are producing CO2? We must stop them! Let’s find out if we can stop them farting.”
6) “If not, then we move to Plan B. This is a perfect opportunity to convert everyone to veganism.”