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Carbon Footprints. They’re a measure of how much we each contribute to the greenhouse gases that warm the Earth’s atmosphere. The average for each human is nearly 5 tons per year. But one CrowdScience listener in Ghana is wondering about the bigger picture. After all, humans aren’t the only species on this planet. So which other animal has the biggest carbon footprint? CrowdScience presenters Caroline Steel and Marnie Chesterton are on the case, examining and arguing over the animal that deserves the top spot for this title.
Caroline, a vegan, points to the cow as the top contender, since the livestock sector produces 14% of total greenhouse gas emissions, and cows, whether as meat or dairy animals, are in the frame. The team look at initiatives around the world to be more efficient with each animal out there…. But maybe it’s time to put another sector in the spotlight? Pets. We love our dogs and cats but do their meat-based diets win them a place on the podium? From most loved to most detested, we look at the role that key pests play in upsetting the carbon budget. Could a small beetle with a large appetite for greenery be an unusual winner, thanks to the trees these pests destroy over their lifetimes? Finally, the CrowdScience team look through the long history of this planet, over previous global warmings, for some surprising animals that wormed their way to a warmer world. Will it be a carbon footprint, or hoofprint, pawprint, or clawprint with the largest carbon dioxide invoice.