I pulled this from the notes for my brewing masters. They were put together by the brewing lecturers at Heriott Watt, so perhaps they might be a little self serving, but it seems brewing isn't all that bad regarding CO2.
[quote:342vvz6x]11.1 Overview
Carbon dioxide recovery entails returning gas from the brewery plant and processing it for reuse. The suitability of the various sources will depend upon the recovery plant being used.
Releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere has been cited as a cause of the greenhouse effect, producing global warming. The carbon dioxide given out during fermentation is produced from the grain used to produce the wort - as the cereal plants absorbed the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis. The extracts from the grains produce the carbon source for the yeast, which release carbon dioxide as a waste product during fermentation. The contribution of carbon dioxide from brewery and distillery fermentations is negligible with respect to the environment – burning fossil fuels to provide heat and electrical energy produces most carbon dioxide.
The following are figures based on UK findings:
Total CO2 emission from burning of fossil fuels = 990 x 106 tonnes per annum.
Total CO2 emission from brewing industry by burning fossil fuels = 2.21 x 106 tonnes per annum.
Total CO2 emission from brewing industry by fermentation = 0.42 x 106 tonnes per annum.
This means that the UK brewing industry contributes very little to the total CO2 emission (~0.2%).[/quote:342vvz6x]
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