[USCC] worms and global warming

[Public]

An article in a UK paper claims that worms 'emit nitrous oxide - a
greenhouse gas 296 times more powerful, molecule for molecule, than carbon
dioxide.'

I hope someone much more knowledgeable than I will comment.  I hate to hear
anything bad about worms.

Karin Grobe
Organic Recyclers Anonymous

Full article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/07/06/eaworm106.
xml

By Charles Clover, Environment Editor
Last Updated: 6:01pm BST 06/07/2007


Worms may not be as environmentally friendly as the growing number of
gardeners who use them to help compost their kitchen scraps and grass
clippings believe, say scientists.

In fact, the greenhouse gases emitted by a large commercial worm composting
plant may be comparable to the global warming potential of a landfill site
of the same scale, according to the Open University.

This is because worms used in composting emit nitrous oxide - a greenhouse
gas 296 times more powerful, molecule for molecule, than carbon dioxide.