Archive for the ‘cattle’ tag
The “Stinking” Problem of Beef
Cows create almost 20% of the world’s greenhouse gases. That’s more than trains, planes and automobiles combined! Other livestock contribute as well, but when you measure gas emissions, cow flatulence heats up the earth like nothing else. In fact, the methane that cows discharge has 23 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide.
Consider that one cow releases about 10 lbs of methane per month and there are 100 million cows just in the US. That’s 12 billion pounds of methane emitted into the atmosphere every year.
SOLUTION:
1. Well, if you’re a rancher - change what your cows eat. Feeding them garlic neutralizes the bacteria in their stomachs and cuts their emissions in half.
2. As an individual, reduce your intake of red meat. A University of Chicago study found that each beef eating America contributes to pumping an extra 1.5 tons of CO2 into the air every year. Almost all of that emission is created by raising cattle and processing beef. It’s equivalent to driving an extra 5,000 miles every year.