Could Cremation be adding to the "Global Warming"

@Modestah (11177)
United States
February 15, 2008 1:01am CST
with the rise in the number of cremations being performed in our modern era - could global warming be a side effect? Professor Roger Short (University of Melbourne) thinks it may just.... you figure a body in Australia must be heated to over 1500 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 90 minutes in order to be cremated... this will produce more than 100 pounds of carbon dioxide. all other opinions pro and con aside - Surely a buried body allowed to decompose is better for our earth and atmosphere than cremation -
2 responses
zeloguy
@zeloguy (4911)
• United States
15 Feb 08
There is a cemetary here in Central Florida that is a 'green' cemetary... no box... no embalming fluid... your body is tagged with a sensor to know where you are (yeah no headstones either). Bodies are buried two deep (one on top of another) and it just looks like a park. Want to visit grandma... there is a small plaque... don't know where it is you use this device that looks like a metal detector and a map to find her. You can also be buried literally in a pine box if you so desire. I think it's going a bit far but... c'est la vie. Zelo
Wario_1
@Wario_1 (965)
• Sweden
15 Feb 08
Yea, it almost feels like a form of environment friendly nerdiness. Its nice that they are trying to think about pollution and stuff, still its majbe a bit far out to be buried in a pine box underneath someone.
1 person likes this
Modestah
@Modestah (11177)
• United States
15 Feb 08
the basic pine box casket these days is rather nice looking - 2 friends and my father were all buried in "pine boxes" towards the end of 2007 - and they were quite lovely enclosures. I like the idea of no embalming fluid - letting the body decompose instead of turning to slime - but a box would be nice - and um, no two deep - yuck... and I am all for headstones.
1 person likes this
zeloguy
@zeloguy (4911)
• United States
15 Feb 08
As I thought about it further... where does marble come from... the earth... does it contribute to the degradation of the earth... no. So headstones I can see, yes. Pine boxes... yes... but again if they were made from stone then same deal as before. With as fast as they can do autopsies and the like today I don't see the need for embalming fluid and even if they did have it then could they make it so that it was environmentally friendly? Thanks Zelo
jillhill
@jillhill (37353)
• United States
15 Feb 08
I came into this world via this vehicle that carries my soul....I should leave in the same container! I don't know about the scientific aspect or if it adds to global warming but I think decomposing is a better option.