There are many environmental problems associated with ruminant livestock and these problems continue to grow as the demand for meat-rich diets increases around the world. One of the biggest problems is that cows emit methane through eructation (or belching) as they chew their cud. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, some 25 times more potent at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. More than a quarter of all human-originated methane going into the atmosphere comes from raising livestock.
A recent paper published by U.K and German scientists has revealed that as the climate warms, the plants growing in warmer conditions are tougher and have lower nutritional value to livestock. Higher amounts of methane are released when plants are tougher to digest.
The scientists identified the vicious cycle associated with the warming climate and increasing methane emissions from cattle and have advocated undertaking efforts to mitigate the problem. They are working to identify native forage plants that are associated with high meat and milk production and less methane and to increase their presence on the grazing landscape.
Global meat production has risen from 78 million tons in 1961 to 350 million tons in 2014 and grazing lands now cover 30% of the earth’s ice-free surface. Livestock contributes $1.4 trillion to the global economy and employs 1.3 billion people around the world. Clearly the industry can’t continue to grow as it has but it isn’t going to disappear either. It is a global challenge to balance the demands of this gigantic enterprise with the need for sustainability and reducing its impact on the environment. It is not an easy task.
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Making cows more environmentally friendly
Photo, posted July 12, 2013, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture via Flickr.
‘Cows and the Environment’ from Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
Thank you for producing a wonderful program on such a regular basis.
While I generally appreciate what EarthWise is after, I take exception to the story you produced on “Cows and the Environment”.
I encourage you to research the work being done globally by the Savory Institute, Holistic Management International, and some of the leading agronomists and animal scientists in combatting desertification and global climate change through the use of animal impact. Dr. Jason Rowntree at Michigan State University, Dr.Richard Teague at Texas A&M, Dr. Gary Kleppel at SUNY Albany, Dr. Fred Provenza at Utah State, and Dr. David Montgomery in Washington and Dr. Elaine Ingham in Oregon are just some of the fantastic academics researching the pivotal role large ruminants play in sequestering carbon in our soils and righting the imbalances in the Calcium, Nirogen, Phosphorous cycles at the elemental level in the soil, and righting the water cycle in the broader environment.
To help let more people know about this work and have them better understand the importance of large ruminants to the environment might be a good topic for your show, EarthWise.
Please feel free to contact me.