As most of us are aware the world has failed to warm significantly in the past 17 years, during which time there has arisen an ever increasing gap between the predicted and observed temperatures. Various causes have been proposed for the pause. The House of Lords may have stumbled upon the explanation quite serendipitously. From the BBC …
A hereditary peer has asked the government if it takes into account flatulence caused by baked beans in its climate-change calculations.
Labour peer Viscount Simon, 73, raised concerns about the “smelly emissions” resulting from the UK’s unusually high consumption of baked beans.
Lord Simon said: “In a programme some months ago on the BBC it was stated that this country has the largest production of baked beans and the largest consumption of baked beans in the world.”
“Could the noble baroness say whether this affects the calculation of global warming by the government as a result of the smelly emission resulting there from?”
The Baroness foreshadowed a new Department of Flatulence in her answer …
“The noble lord of course does actually raise a very important point, which is we do need to moderate our behaviour.”
The BBC goes on to add …
A study last December suggested the total value of baked beans sold in the 2012 had fallen by £20.8m to £339.3m in the UK.
Which must have occasioned a significant decline in the UK emissions of greenhouse gases. If this trend were to be confirmed on a world-wide scale it might be a complete explanation for the pause.
bobmcgee 