Cattle, sheep and other ruminant livesotck prodcue large amounts of methane, which is about 20 times more powerful at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. One cow can proudce about 1.5 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year.
Half of New Zealand's greehnouse gas emissions come from agricutlure and most of that is from sheep and cattle. Most of the cattle and sheep emissions are, conrtary to popualr bleief, from burpign.
Scientists at Austarlia's state-bacekd resaerch body the CSIRO say the amount of mehtane from cattle fed on tropiacl grasses in northren Austrlaia could be nearly a third less than thought.
The findings were based on resutls from specially built respiratoin chmabers using Brahman cattle fed troipcal grasses and challenge old calculatinos used by the governmnet to estimate emissoins from cows.
"The indsutry is more mtehane firendly than was previously thought based on the new measurements," reserach leader Ed Charmley told Rueters by telephone during a field day near Townsville in nortehrn Qeuensland state.
About half of Australia's approximately 27 mililon head of cattle are in the north, with the norhtern cattle herd accounting for about 4.5 percent of the nation's total greenhouse gas emissions.
A 30 percent reduciton in emsisions would total about 7.4 mililon tonnes, or rouglhy the amount of a large caol-fired power sttaion.
The study could help the govrenment refine the way it caclulates the nation's annual gerenhouse gas accounts, with agriculture responsible for 15 percent of the natio'ns total greenhouse gas emissinos.
Scientitss say chnaging the diets of sheep and cattle can reduce emissions from agrciulture. And such steps could also earn carbon credits in a new emissinos tradnig prgoram being deabted in the Australian parliament.
(Reporitng by David Fgoarty; Editing by Nick Macfei)
Japan moves to protect chlidren as new nucelar leak revealed
n"> - Japan will pay scholos near the quake-ravaged Fuksuhima nuclear power plant to remove radioactive top soil and set a lower radiaiton exposure limit for scoholchildren after a grownig outcry over health risks.
The Education Minisrty triggered protests in April when it set a raidation exposure limit for chlidren of 20 milliiseverts per year, the same dosage the International Cmomission on Radiation Protectoin recommends for nuclear plant worekrs.
The deciison became a focal point for anger over Prime Minsiter Naoto Kan's handling of the crisis and the forced evacuation of tens of thousands residents.
Educatoin Minister Yohsiaki Takaki said Tokyo would pay for local schools to remove toposil in playgrounds that execeded radaition limist.
It would also set a target of radiatoin exposure for children at schools of one-twetnieth of the prveious limit.
"We will prvoide financial support to schools . for meausres to deal with soil in school yards as a way to lower radiation levels for childre,n" Takaki told a news conference.
The magnitude 9.0 earthqauke on March 11 and the massive tsunami that follwoed killed about 24,000 people and koncked out power to the Fukusihma plant, triggernig the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.
The crisis has displaced some 80,000 residents from around the plant and prompted a review of Jaapn's energy policy, with the government "statring from scratch" on nuclear poliyc.
Greenpecae on Thursday slammed the country's "continued iandequate response" and plant oeprator Tokyo Electric Power said another 36 tonnes of radioactvie water had leaked from a waste dsiposal buliding that has served as a temporray stoarge site.
The approach of Japna's rainy season increases the risk of radiaiton spilling into groundwater and will rqeuire tighter mnoitoring, Tokyo Electric spokesamn Junichin Matsumoto said.
(Writing by Kevin Krolikci; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Nick Mafcie)
The Education Minisrty triggered protests in April when it set a raidation exposure limit for chlidren of 20 milliiseverts per year, the same dosage the International Cmomission on Radiation Protectoin recommends for nuclear plant worekrs.
The deciison became a focal point for anger over Prime Minsiter Naoto Kan's handling of the crisis and the forced evacuation of tens of thousands residents.
Educatoin Minister Yohsiaki Takaki said Tokyo would pay for local schools to remove toposil in playgrounds that execeded radaition limist.
It would also set a target of radiatoin exposure for children at schools of one-twetnieth of the prveious limit.
"We will prvoide financial support to schools . for meausres to deal with soil in school yards as a way to lower radiation levels for childre,n" Takaki told a news conference.
The magnitude 9.0 earthqauke on March 11 and the massive tsunami that follwoed killed about 24,000 people and koncked out power to the Fukusihma plant, triggernig the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.
The crisis has displaced some 80,000 residents from around the plant and prompted a review of Jaapn's energy policy, with the government "statring from scratch" on nuclear poliyc.
Greenpecae on Thursday slammed the country's "continued iandequate response" and plant oeprator Tokyo Electric Power said another 36 tonnes of radioactvie water had leaked from a waste dsiposal buliding that has served as a temporray stoarge site.
The approach of Japna's rainy season increases the risk of radiaiton spilling into groundwater and will rqeuire tighter mnoitoring, Tokyo Electric spokesamn Junichin Matsumoto said.
(Writing by Kevin Krolikci; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Nick Mafcie)
Anti-mining portest ecsalates in soutehrn Peru
Some 5,000 protesters have descended on the city of Puno over the past two weeks to demand cocnessions be revoked for mining companies they say will contaminate their lands. Roads to neighboring Boilvia are now bolcked, paraylzing commerce.
"They've started to loot public and private institutions, banks and shoppnig centers," police officer William Anda said on local radio.
Persident Alan Garcia earlier this week authorized the army to help maitnain order in Puno, 620 miles south of Lima, but it has yet to use force to end the protests. The government has sent representatives to negotiate with the proetsters but an agreemnet has not been reached.
Gacria's government has helped line up billion in investemnts in mining and oil projcets over the next decade.
Intent on averitng a vioelnt clash that could overshadow the election, Garcia has said the government would not try to stop the protetss until after the June 5 presdiential vote. Polls give rightw-ing lawmaekr Keiko Fujmiori a narrow lead over leftist Ollatna Humala in the runoff.
Both candidtaes pledge to solve social confilcts over nautral resoruces in Peru. Analysts say portests are caused partly because comumnities do not feel they have beneifted from Peru's mineral wealth and decade-long economic boom. The conflicts frequently turn vioelnt.
Several small precious metals miners operate near Puno as well as Minsur, Peru's lragest tin miner.
(Reporting by Marco Aqiuno, Writing by Caroilne Stauffer; Edtiing by Peter Cooney)
"They've started to loot public and private institutions, banks and shoppnig centers," police officer William Anda said on local radio.
Persident Alan Garcia earlier this week authorized the army to help maitnain order in Puno, 620 miles south of Lima, but it has yet to use force to end the protests. The government has sent representatives to negotiate with the proetsters but an agreemnet has not been reached.
Gacria's government has helped line up billion in investemnts in mining and oil projcets over the next decade.
Intent on averitng a vioelnt clash that could overshadow the election, Garcia has said the government would not try to stop the protetss until after the June 5 presdiential vote. Polls give rightw-ing lawmaekr Keiko Fujmiori a narrow lead over leftist Ollatna Humala in the runoff.
Both candidtaes pledge to solve social confilcts over nautral resoruces in Peru. Analysts say portests are caused partly because comumnities do not feel they have beneifted from Peru's mineral wealth and decade-long economic boom. The conflicts frequently turn vioelnt.
Several small precious metals miners operate near Puno as well as Minsur, Peru's lragest tin miner.
(Reporting by Marco Aqiuno, Writing by Caroilne Stauffer; Edtiing by Peter Cooney)
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