Activist: You need to get rid of your cows, they’re destroying the planet with carbon emissions.

The Old Farmer: Leaned against the fence and smiled.
Where do you think the carbon came from?
Activist: The cows
The Old Farmer: No, from the grass.
Activist: paused.
She said the grass pulled carbon out of the air while it was growing. The cow ate the grass. Then the cow returned part of it back into the air. That’s not new carbon. That’s a cycle.
But it’s still entering the atmosphere, the activist argued.
And rain still falls into rivers, the farmer replied. Does that shock you too?
The activist frowned.
If the cow disappears, the farmer continued, the grass still dies. It still decomposes. The carbon still goes back into the air. Nature has been recycling itself long before humans started holding conferences about it.
Silence.
The farmer looked across the field.
You’re not angry at carbon, he said softly.
You’re angry at cows because someone convinced you a natural cycle is a crisis.
Then he tipped his hat and added:
Funny thing about circles… they keep coming back around.