Cattle and Climate Change

Become a vegetarian: cool the planet. An op-ed in the New York Times provides the statistic that beef cows are responsible for 18% of the methane emissions that are the source of global warming. Of course so many cows are there to keep us in hamburgers and prime rib.

If we eat less meat we slow the planet's response to the  greenhouses gases that we pump into the air. The planet's sensitive health is preserved.

Read the article below:

Editorial
Meat and the Planet

Published: December 27, 2006

When you think about the growth of human population over the last century or so, it is all too easy to imagine it merely as an increase in the number of humans. But as we multiply, so do all the things associated with us, including our livestock. At present, there are about 1.5 billion cattle and domestic buffalo and about 1.7 billion sheep and goats. With pigs and poultry, they form a critical part of our enormous biological footprint upon this planet.

Just how enormous was not really apparent until the publication of a new report, called “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Consider these numbers. Global livestock grazing and feed production use “30 percent of the land surface of the planet.” Livestock — which consume more food than they yield — also compete directly with humans for water. And the drive to expand grazing land destroys more biologically sensitive terrain, rain forests especially, than anything else.

But what is even more striking, and alarming, is that livestock are responsible for about 18 percent of the global warming effect, more than transportation’s contribution. The culprits are methane — the natural result of bovine digestion — and the nitrogen emitted by manure. Deforestation of grazing land adds to the effect.

There are no easy trade-offs when it comes to global warming — such as cutting back on cattle to make room for cars. The human passion for meat is certainly not about to end anytime soon. As “Livestock’s Long Shadow” makes clear, our health and the health of the planet depend on pushing livestock production in more sustainable directions.

Comments

[Tenzin Namgyal]

Who would have thought that livestock is a bigger force in pushing ahead the warming of our planet than automobiles are? One stat from PETA that I have remembered for a long time and that supports what is stated in this article, is that for every pound of beef grown it takes 12 pounds of grain and 100 gallons of water. Hence, "Livestock — which consume more food than they yield — also compete directly with humans for water." I really appreciate the last sentence. While we are not going to give up meat right away, it is paramount that we start moving (and soon) in a more sustainable direction, and not just with respect to livestock, but to all of our human systems.

[terri]

When I was coming from Ukiah on the bus to the bay area there were some cows by the 101. I was like they are so cute... but it's so sad cuz someone is gonna kill them. But then I thought, well what would happen if we didnt kill them? now that we have bred so many? and my mind's eye saw a whole hillside covered with cows and then dozens and dozens of them the same way, and them not having any grass to eat and dying of starvation. I guess their population would eventually balance out. But I think that we would have to neuter a lot of cows straight away. But still. I feel bad when I see someone chopping up meat and I hate eating it. So how are we going to implement birth control for cows?
We can't even get people to have self control. And I hear cow farts deplete the ozone layer.

[Janani]

I think we should get that Vegan recipe book done. I remember,
where we left off... I mean, getting a structure...
Anyways, I posted my 2 cents on my blog and thought it's important to provide a link here...
http://jananislounge.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html