News in brief: Elon Musk has criticised Ireland’s plan to kill 200,000 cows as part of its climate change efforts, stating that it won’t make a significant difference. The move has sparked debate, with some suggesting it aims to create a beef shortage or promote non-animal protein consumption.
Responding to a post about Ireland planning to kill 200,000 cows in its fight against climate change, tech billionaire Elon Musk has spoken out against the plan.
The original post was from Twitter user Ashley St. Clair, who works with the conservative Christian satire news publishers, Babylon Bee. Clair had said that the move was part of a push to end life of both animals and humans in the name of climate activism. A push she tagged evil.
In response, the Tesla CEO said:
This really needs to stop. Killing some cows doesnât matter for climate change.
â Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 3, 2023
Days before this incident, the Ireland Department for Agriculture refuted the claim that culling 200,000 cows was a policy. Instead, it said that part of ongoing discussions about meeting its climate change target for the next three years.
“The Paper referred to was part of a deliberative process â it is one of a number of modelling documents considered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and is not a final policy decision. As part of the normal work of Government Departments, various options for policy implementation are regularly considered,” its statement read.
The Farming Independent, which broke the news, also confirmed that its source was an internal document it obtained through a freedom of information request. Clair’s source published the news two days after the department debunked the claim that it was a policy.
Cows responsible for bulk of Ireland Methane emission
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), methane is the second highest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland. The agency says that agricultural activities account for more than 93% of the methane in the country. It also added that between 1990 and 1998, methane emissions reached its peak as livestock numbers increased. Meanwhile, it dropped between 1998 and 2011 when the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) cut down livestock numbers.
Cows produce methane as part of their food digestion process and emit it through belching. Methane is about 80 times more effective in warming the planet than carbon dioxide in the first 20 years. Although, carbon dioxide has a longer lasting effect.
Elon Musk is not the only one who thinks killing 200,000 cows is not the right way for Ireland to solves its climate change problem. Dairy farmers in the country are gearing up to fight the policy if announced as mandatory for all of them. There are also several netizens who argue that the move is to create an artificial shortage of beef. Others argue that it is a strategy to get people hooked on non-animal protein.
