One of the most important aspects for reducing and stopping the effects of climate change is the release of methane into the atmosphere. Twenty years ago its levels stalled, but starting in 2006-2007 they began to rise again. Half of the emissions are associated with human activity, from fossil fuel processing to agriculture and livestock. Yes, cows produce methane, and a review of the numbers shows that the amount of their gas is 11 percent higher than previously calculated.
Standard methane production involves something dead in the process of decomposition, with reduced oxygen levels. Swamps and forest fires are two classic examples of sources for the gas; however, there are other activities that hit much closer to home: fossil fuel processing, and the combination of agriculture and livestock. Rice cultivation is particularly bad regarding methane emissions (which complicates things due to its profile as a staple food), but we cannot lose sight of cows. Almost automatically one thinks of flatulence, when in reality, their methane percentage is very low. The real emission is through burps. An average ruminant head of cattle releases 250 liters of methane per day, and without that capability, it could not process the food it consumes.
The 2017 Study
A 2017 study (and not recent as some colleagues highlighted) funded by NASA's Carbon Monitoring System and published in the journal Carbon Balance and Management reveals that with an updated set of factors (2006 versus 2011), global livestock emissions are 11 percent higher than previously thought (119 million metric tons). Although carbon dioxide has a much broader presence, the "greenhouse potential" of methane is between 28 and 32 times higher. In addition to a series of changes in livestock breeding (expansion of feedlots, larger size per head), the study mentions differences in manure management. If we analyze the European territory, methane emissions decrease in parallel with the reduction in livestock population, while centralized manure processing (designed to optimize profits) in the United States and Canada produces an increase in emissions.
Possible Solutions
Some strategies suggest modifying the diet of cows to reduce methane production (with algae, higher fat content, and even garlic). Others argue that focusing efforts only on livestock is not enough, and that it is necessary to 'attack' more sources (the aforementioned rice cultivation, for example). However, the most radical bet is the definitive abandonment of traditional livestock farming, to make way for the development of "lab-grown meat". Time will tell.
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Source: Physorg
