Livestock causes 15% of all emissions worldwide: Scientists
TIMES INSIGHT GROUP
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Need To Cut Intake Of Meat, Mainly Beef
Everybody knows that burning of fossil fuels is the biggest cause of climate change.But, another important factor that is often brushed under the carpet is meat consumption. Scientists have estimated that about 15% of all emissions come from worldwide livestock, mostly reared for consumption of meat or milk. That's a mind-boggling 7.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.One way of cutting emissions would be to reduce meat consumption.Perhaps a beginning could be made by having a few days on which people do not consume meat, especially beef, because beef contributes over 40% of emissions from all livestock.
Meat consumption has zoomed up from 70 million tons in 1961 to 278 million tons in 2009 a 300% increase in 50 years. According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), meat consumption is expected to rise to 460 million tons by 2050. All this meat, the bulk of which is beef, is grown in gigantic industrial farms in Europe, US, South America and Australia. FAO estimates that there were about 1.4 billion cattle and one billion pigs and sheep in the world in 2010.
But what's the connection to climate change?
The animals themselves emit an enormous amount of methane which is generated in their digestive system. FAO estimates that in 2013, this process, called enteric fermentation generated 39% of all livestock emissions. Almost a quarter of the world's arable land is used to grow feed for this livestock, including soya bean and corn. Fertilizers are used profligately for this, contributing to nitrogen oxides emissions, besides the loss of forests to clear land. This contributes another 21% of emissions. The manure produced by these animals runs into millions of tons and produces 26% of emissions, mostly nitrogen oxides. The remaining 14% are generated from various energy uses for transportation, processing and from land use changes like deforestation to provide land for growing feed.
Various scientific studies show that among all meats, beef has the highest carbon emitting potential. An analysis of 27 European Union countries found that a kilogram of beef is the cause of 22.6 kg CO2 emissions compared to 2.5 kg from pork, 1.6 from poultry , and 1.3 kg from milk. The emissions vary from region to region because of rearing practices. Consumption of 1 kg beef emits as much greenhouse gases as driving a car 160 kilometers. Plant cultivation is re sponsible for much less emissions: as compared to 16 kg CO2 per kg beef in UK, one kg of wheat was found to emit just 0.8 kg CO2.
Cutting down on meat mainly beef consumption will be a big contribution to the fight against climate change provided the big meat eating countries take it up. In the US, average meat consumption is about 322 grams per person per day , with Australia and New Zealand close behind. Europeans, Brazilians, Argentines and Venezuelans eat about 200 grams per day on an average, while the Chinese consume 160 grams.Indians, however, consume just 12 grams per day . Indians can perhaps extend support by having one meatless day , more as a symbolic support to a global fight.
Times View
The Sangh Parivar has been clamouring for a ban on beef in India on religious grounds. Banning beef because of religion would be wrong and autocratic in a secular country and can only aggravate tensions between religious communities. There is, however, a good, secular reason to advocate the shunning of beef globally. And that's because the methane produced by cattle is a big factor in global warming. With the Paris deal done, the timing is right for Prime Minister Modi who last year succeeded in convincing the UN to declare June 21 as International Yoga Day to persuade foreign governments to make one day of the month beef-free globally by prohibiting restaurants from serving it. It would be a small sacrifice for people to make, but would help raise awareness on the impact of beef-eating on global warming. It is also much easier to do than many other steps needed for cutting global emissions. Above all, by involving people directly in the effort, it drives home the message of Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see in the world“, a message that must be internalised if global warming is to be successfully combated.
Meat consumption has zoomed up from 70 million tons in 1961 to 278 million tons in 2009 a 300% increase in 50 years. According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), meat consumption is expected to rise to 460 million tons by 2050. All this meat, the bulk of which is beef, is grown in gigantic industrial farms in Europe, US, South America and Australia. FAO estimates that there were about 1.4 billion cattle and one billion pigs and sheep in the world in 2010.
But what's the connection to climate change?
The animals themselves emit an enormous amount of methane which is generated in their digestive system. FAO estimates that in 2013, this process, called enteric fermentation generated 39% of all livestock emissions. Almost a quarter of the world's arable land is used to grow feed for this livestock, including soya bean and corn. Fertilizers are used profligately for this, contributing to nitrogen oxides emissions, besides the loss of forests to clear land. This contributes another 21% of emissions. The manure produced by these animals runs into millions of tons and produces 26% of emissions, mostly nitrogen oxides. The remaining 14% are generated from various energy uses for transportation, processing and from land use changes like deforestation to provide land for growing feed.
Various scientific studies show that among all meats, beef has the highest carbon emitting potential. An analysis of 27 European Union countries found that a kilogram of beef is the cause of 22.6 kg CO2 emissions compared to 2.5 kg from pork, 1.6 from poultry , and 1.3 kg from milk. The emissions vary from region to region because of rearing practices. Consumption of 1 kg beef emits as much greenhouse gases as driving a car 160 kilometers. Plant cultivation is re sponsible for much less emissions: as compared to 16 kg CO2 per kg beef in UK, one kg of wheat was found to emit just 0.8 kg CO2.
Cutting down on meat mainly beef consumption will be a big contribution to the fight against climate change provided the big meat eating countries take it up. In the US, average meat consumption is about 322 grams per person per day , with Australia and New Zealand close behind. Europeans, Brazilians, Argentines and Venezuelans eat about 200 grams per day on an average, while the Chinese consume 160 grams.Indians, however, consume just 12 grams per day . Indians can perhaps extend support by having one meatless day , more as a symbolic support to a global fight.
Times View
The Sangh Parivar has been clamouring for a ban on beef in India on religious grounds. Banning beef because of religion would be wrong and autocratic in a secular country and can only aggravate tensions between religious communities. There is, however, a good, secular reason to advocate the shunning of beef globally. And that's because the methane produced by cattle is a big factor in global warming. With the Paris deal done, the timing is right for Prime Minister Modi who last year succeeded in convincing the UN to declare June 21 as International Yoga Day to persuade foreign governments to make one day of the month beef-free globally by prohibiting restaurants from serving it. It would be a small sacrifice for people to make, but would help raise awareness on the impact of beef-eating on global warming. It is also much easier to do than many other steps needed for cutting global emissions. Above all, by involving people directly in the effort, it drives home the message of Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see in the world“, a message that must be internalised if global warming is to be successfully combated.
Source: Times of India, 16-12-2015
