Flower Power To Cut Greenhouse Gasses

Date: 10/07/23

Feeding daffodils to cows to prevent climate change sounds like something climate activists would do as a creative and colourful protest to get on the front page of the papers. Yet the famous spring flowers could have the power to make a real difference in the environmental battle, cutting agricultural methane emissions by as much as 30%.

What have cows got to do with climate change?

Compared to diesel guzzling portable generator hire on a construction site, cows may appear harmless enough. Yet half of all the UK’s methane emissions come from cows, when they burp or, shall we say, ‘emit gasses’ in other ways.

A single cow can produce an astonishing 500 litres of methane every day. Worldwide, a third of human-related methane emissions are the result of rearing livestock such as cows and sheep, and this contributes to 14% of all greenhouse gasses across the globe.

Why is methane such a problem

You might think that the CO2 emissions from your portable generator hire are bad enough, but methane is much more potent. Over 100 years, methane is 28 times more powerful than CO2 in warming the atmosphere, and over 20 years this rises to as much as 100 times more potent.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, cutting methane is the ‘biggest opportunity to slow global warming between now and 2040’. Yet at the same time, global demand for food from intensive farming is rising all the time. There is an urgent need to find a balance between the two, which is why this unlikely floral solution could be a game changer.

Daffodils could cut a whole bunch of methane

Sadly, we won’t get to see farmers presenting their herds with bunches of daffodils at feeding time, or see them rolling flowers around their mouths like Ermentrude from the Magic Roundabout. However, scientists have isolated a chemical, called haemanthamine, in the flower, which reduced methane by as much as 96% in an artificial cow stomach during lab tests.

This research is now ready to move into the field, literally, with a four-year trial in Welsh herds. It is hoped that when added to animal feed, haemanthamine will reduce cattle methane production by as much as 30%.

Sunshine and flowers

It’s pleasing to find that nature can provide such a natural solution to the problems we are causing for the planet. And the good news is that you can enjoy the same sort of natural answers to your site emission problems. We’re not suggesting that you feed your team daffodils to stop them emitting noxious gasses, but you can harness the clean, renewable, sustainable energy of the sun to power your project.

Think Hire offers a range of portable generator hire that includes solar powered and hybrid generators. These can be deployed almost anywhere to power almost anything, from site lighting to the latest generation of electric powered plant, from eco-welfare units to site offices and admin.

Cut your emissions and your costs

At Think Hire, we understand the balance between efficiency and environmental concerns. That’s why we offer hybrid portable generator hire, with solar power backed up by an integrated diesel generator for complete peace of mind. We also understand the balance between the cost to the environment and the cost to your budget, which is why, if you make Think Hire your renewable energy partner, we guarantee to cut both your emissions and your operating costs.

To find out more about cutting emissions at your site and playing your part in the global fight against climate change, get in touch with us today. We’ll show you how sunshine can help you the way daffodils are helping farmers to cut emissions and protect the planet.

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