Headline of the Day

From the June 8th The Register (U.K.):

Farting Death Camels Must Die to save the world!

No, really: it's a proposal by a company called Northwest Carbon, for an Australian government program called the Carbon Farming Initiative. The CFI is "a carbon offsets scheme to provide new economic rewards to farmers and other landholders who help the environment by reducing carbon pollution."

As the The Register reports:

An Adelaide-based entrepreneur has hit upon a novel method of fighting global warming: he intends to exterminate Australia's vast population of feral camels by means of gunfire from helicopters and jeeps, so preventing the beasts from unleashing a deadly planet-wrecking miasma of greenhouse gas from their rumbling guts.

The idea is that the War On Dromedaries would be paid for -- and indeed, turn a profit -- by selling government carbon credits issued on the basis that a dead camel cannot be emitting methane by means of belch or trouser cough. . .

[The company] calculates that each of the feral dromedaries roaming Australia's mostly desolate interior belches or farts out no less than 45kg of methane each year, equating to a thumping tonne of CO2. On average, each camel assassination will prevent the equivalent of 15 tonnes of carbon emissions.

The resulting certificates . . . could easily be traded for enough money to cover the costs of blasting the dromedaries from helicopters or 4x4s and disposing of the bodies, which could perhaps be sold for pet food.

The Australian government currently is considering Northwest Carbon's suggestion, and hopes to decide by July 1st.

"Kill a camel for Gaia." Animal rights activists may object, but I can't wait.

(via reader Warren)