'What is causing the rapid rise in methane emissions?'

I was browsing 'The Guardian' earlier and came across this news article discussing the recent surge in methane (CH₄) emissions. The article highlights some of the critical issues associated with CH₄, which stresses how much of a damaging greenhouse gas it is. A fascinating part of this article states how animal breeders are attempting to produce cattle whose guts produce less CH₄. Is there a chance this could solve the environmental problems associated with cattle? Could this mean that reducing our beef consumption would not be necessary if these types of cattle are produced? I most certainly endeavor to research this further.

Click on the photo below to take a look at the article - definitely worth a read!

(source: The Guardian, 2016)

Greenhouse gases emissions: methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide

On almost every occasion, when I have told people about my decision to stop eating beef, people have, of course, asked why. When I say that it is because of the impacts of cattle on the environment, people are often clueless as to how cows can have such a negative effect on the environment, climate in particular. Many people I have spoken to about this do seem to know that cows produce methane and they understand that this is a gas that contributes to climate change. However, people do not seem to know about the other ways in which cattle affect the environment, more specifically the other greenhouse gases (GHG) that cattle are accountable for. Approximately 18% of global GHG emissions are as a result of livestock production (Stehfest et al., 2009) and cattle represent approximately 65% of these emissions. Therefore I have decided to centre this blog post around the ways in which cattle-rearing emits three major GHGs - methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Methane (CH₄)

The livestock supply chains emit...

44% of anthropogenic CH₄ emissions

CH₄ has a large impact on global warming as it is the second largest contributor to radiative forcing. CH₄ is produced when organic materials decompose as a result of the enteric fermentation digestion process in livestock, in particular ruminants (cattle, sheep and goats) (Carlsson-Kanyama and Gonzalez, 2009). In addition, cattle do not convert feed particularly efficiently, when compared with other animals such as pigs. This means that emissions of CH₄ per unit in cattle are higher which demonstrates that cattle-rearing is inefficient and a significant contributor to total GHG emissions. 

Nitrous oxide (N₂O)

The livestock supply chains emit...

53% of anthropogenic N₂O emissions

According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) State of Food and Agriculture 2016 report, N₂O is the most significant cause of ozone depletion in the stratosphere. In order for cattle to survive they must be fed (obviously). Commonly, nitrogen fertilizers are utilised to grow the crops that cattle eat. Nitrogen fertilizers produce N₂O indirectly after the fertilizer has been applied to the cropland. In addition, N₂O is produced through the microbial transformation of nitrogen in soils and manures (Carlsson-Kanyama et al., 2009).

This table below compares the emissions of both N₂O and CH₄ from cattle and pigs in the production of beef and pork. As you can see, in order to produce beef, much greater levels of non-carbon dioxide emissions are emitted from cattle compared with from pigs. This significantly highlights the extent to which producing beef, and so consuming beef, is contributing to climatic change.

Figure 1 | Table showing the differences between N₂O and CH₄ emissions from both cattle and pigs. 

(After  Carlsson-Kanyama and Gonzalez, 2009)

Carbon dioxide (CO₂)

The livestock supply chains emit...

5% of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions

The FAO State of Food and Agriculture 2016 report states that deforestation and land degradation have direct impacts on the release of CO₂ into the atmosphere through their effects on the global carbon cycle.

Figure 2 | Global carbon cycle to show the exchange of carbon between the atmosphere, the ocean, the terrestrial biosphere and the lithosphere. 

(source: global-greenhouse-warming.com)

Plants remove CO₂ from the atmosphere for photosynthesis. In order to create pastureland, deforestation occurs. This demonstrates how grazing cattle has a direct impact on GHG emissions by removing trees, a key carbon sink and element of the global carbon cycle. Land degradation affects the global carbon cycle through reducing the soils ability to sequester carbon through the removal of the organic-rich top layer of soil as cattle walk over it. Overgrazing therefore has significant effects. As grazing land for ruminants covers more than 25% of the global land surface (Stehfest et al., 2009), cattle have an extreme effect on the global carbon cycle and so the climate.

I am hoping this post has provided a good background on how cattle are key contributors to climate change through the various GHGs they emit. Please comment below for any further questions!

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret

Over the weekend, I watched an extremely interesting documentary on Netflix called 'Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret'. The documentary followed Kip Andersen, who was investigating the effects of animal agriculture on greenhouse gas emissions and so on climate change. 

A vast majority of the documentary focused on actually explaining how cows contribute so greatly to greenhouse gas emissions, such as through the water intensive grain cows consume. Additionally, 'Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret' revealed a range of shocking facts, for example the United Nations (UN) stated that cattle-rearing produces more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation sector. I found comparative information such as this put the issue of animal agriculture really into perspective.

The documentary also brought to attention how a number of organisations, such as Greenpeace, were reluctant to discuss the environmental consequences of animal agriculture. This has certainly demonstrated that the impact of animal agriculture is not being publicised enough which has truly inspired me to investigate this topic further. 

'Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret' is definitely worth a watch! 

(source: thekindlife.com)

Welcome to my blog!

A couple of months ago, when scrolling through my Facebook news feed I started observing an increasing number of links to news articles that discussed how consuming beef has a damaging effect on the environment. Eventually, I decided to explore this topic further and read some of these news articles I had come across. From further reading and understanding the basics behind the link between beef consumption and climate change, I decided to stop eating beef. Although it may seem such a small contribution, I definitely believe that minor changes in one's lifestyle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions helps to make a difference on the global scale. This change that I decided to make is what gave me the inspiration for my blog. 

As I just stated, my current knowledge of how consuming beef contributes to climate change is relatively narrow. However, various statistics and statements I have come across in the media have particularly shocked me and have driven me to understand this issue even further. 

The first link I decided to pursue that appeared on my Facebook news feed directed me to an article from The Guardian (2010). The article highlighted how unsustainable a diet that is rich in meat and dairy is, especially as agriculture, particularly meat and dairy produce, contribute to 19% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the article included a short video which excellently illustrated many environmental issues involved in our global consumption of meat and dairy produce, which I strive to explore even further. 

According to The Telegraph (2016), by 2050, if we are able to avoid the dangerous 2^oC global temperature rise as set out as a key aim in the Paris Climate conference (COP21), half of the greenhouse gas emissions humanity can produce could be as a result of food-related emissions. I found this statement particularly surprising as I did not even realise the extent to which food affected global warming. When focusing on the greenhouse gas emissions associated with beef consumption alone, I came across a statement from 'Climate Central'. This declared that compared to any other commonly consumed food, beef generates more greenhouse gas emissions per unit of protein (Magill, 2016).

My first blog post has hopefully introduced you to a number of statistics that stress the impact of food consumption, more specifically beef, on our planet. I believe it is important to be aware of what one is consuming, not solely from a dietary perspective, but also from an environmental perspective. As I do not have a complete understanding of why beef consumption is so detrimental to the environment and how it contributes to climate change, I aim to develop a wider understanding of the key environmental issues associated with humanity's beef consumption throughout this blog. Additionally, it is of interest to me to explore the controversy surrounding this topic and examine it from a variety of perspectives. 

Hope you enjoy the read!

(source: quora.com)