According to this article in New Scientist, you’d serve the environment better by cutting back on animal foods instead of switching to a hybrid car.

Thinking of helping the planet by buying an eco-friendly car? You could do more by going vegan, say Gidon Eshel and Pamela Martin of the University of Chicago.

They compared the amount of fossil fuel needed to cultivate and process various foods, including running agricultural machinery, providing food for livestock and irrigating crops. They also factored in emissions of methane and nitrous oxide produced by cows, sheep and manure treatment.

The typical US diet, about 28 per cent of which comes from animal sources, generates the equivalent of nearly 1.5 tonnes more carbon dioxide per person per year than a vegan diet with the same number of calories, say the researchers, who presented their results at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco last week.

By comparison, the difference in annual emissions between driving a typical saloon car and a hybrid car, which runs off a rechargeable battery and gasoline, is just over 1 tonne. If you don’t want to go vegan, choosing less-processed animal products and poultry instead of red meat can help reduce the greenhouse load.

From issue 2530 of New Scientist magazine, 17 December 2005, page 19

Genpets are living, breathing mammals. Bio-Genica is a Bioengineering company that has combined, and modified existing DNA to create the Genpets lineup. The creatures are made up of flesh and blood just like any other animal. The “pets” have been designed to be sold on retail store shelves in plastic blister-packs, not traditional pet stores. Bio-Genica insists that its creation is not a toy, they are real, living beings. They come in seven different personality types. Each personality type shows slightly different emotions. Amazingly, Genpets have vocal chords, although limited “for the convenience of parents”.

While the Genpets™ hang on retail shelves they are in a chemically induced type of hibernation controlled by a protein in the packages’ nutrient supply tubes. This was a natural trait found in many seasonal animals that would normally hibernate in colder northern climates that has been added to the Genpet line. This also ensures comfort for the Genpets™ while they are on store shelves.

Press release by Bio-genica:

TORONTO, On. (September 3, 2005)—Bio-Genica is pleased to announce an official demo launch for the Genpet™ Series 01 pet line! Iodine & Arsenic (867 Queen street West, Toronto) will be the first of what we hope to be many retail stores to carry the Genpets. The fun begins on September 11th, 2005 when Genpets goes up into Iodine’s store window facing out onto Queen street as well as in-store.The Genpets will be placed in a newly designed display unit to showcase them to the public and will be up and running in the store until October 2nd, 2005. When asked for a comment Bio-Genica CEO Adam Brandejs had this to say; “Obviously we are very pleased here at Bio-Genica. This will be a strong launch for the Genpets as they will be placed in a high traffic commercial shopping area. To place fully bioengineered animals on public display and sale in such an area is a bold move sure to turn heads. We’re very excited to broaden our market and strengthen our position as leaders in this industry”. Of course none of this would have been possible without the hard work of our executive marketing chief Crystal Pallister. When asked for comment she had this to add; “ I fully believe the people of Toronto are going to love what we at Bio-Genica have to offer. It’s been a hit with the kids, especially teens. What better way to show them how to care for life and have responsibility than to give them a pet, a friend, which bonds to them immediately and loves them unconditionally. We are pleased to be able to launch Genpets in a store such as Iodine and as the official correspondent, I am very excited to see everyone’s reactions. I hope they will love the Genpets as much as we do”.

This has to be a joke.

Global warming has finally been explained: the Earth is getting hotter because the Sun is burning more brightly than at any time during the past 1,000 years, according to new research.

A study by Swiss and German scientists suggests that increasing radiation from the sun is responsible for recent global climate changes.

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