I’m sure you all know where I’m headed with this one but really, it is such a big problem. And cows don’t just fart; they burp too. Both of these bodily processes produce methane gas, although burping is significantly worse when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. The 95% of the methane produced was released through the mouth, which means it’s going out and into the atmosphere. In total, the farming industry is responsible for 5.5% of the greenhouse gas emissions with cows making up 70% of that number. This is because of the way they digest their food. The methane is produced in their forestomach by enteric fermentation and gets released when they regurgitate their food and chew it again. A few years ago, the government decided to begin addressing the issue.
The Green New Deal is a climate proposal, proposed by Congress to avoid “planetary destruction”. It offers a large plan to attempt to address climate change with a goal of getting the world to net-zero emissions by the year 2050. As for agriculture and more specifically cows, the Green New Deal states that the government will collaborate with farmers to eventually eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. Cows are a huge part of that. It isn’t certain when this proposal will be addressed, especially with other issues such as COVID at the moment, so right now, all we can do is hope and put some effort in ourselves. If the government isn’t going to start doing something about it, we must.
Of course, burning of fossil fuels still takes the cake when it comes to total greenhouse gas emissions but still, cattle and farming do some damage. The beef sector of the cattle industry emits more greenhouse gases than dairy. Climate change isn’t something that can be fixed right away, nor do many people want to drastically change their lifestyles to help deal with the issue. We are encouraged to start small. Something like decreasing beef consumption to once a week or even replacing it with pork or chicken is something that can help. The same thing goes for dairy. The greenhouse gas emissions from the dairy industry are smaller, but it’s another area where people can adjust their daily or weekly intake. Like any new adjustment, it doesn’t happen immediately; it takes some getting used to. But the sooner we start changing our ways, the sooner we can begin helping our planet.
I’ve heard jokes and seen memes about cows farting and burping, but I certainly didn’t realize how impactful the consequences of their flatulence is. While I was reading, I thought of a few questions, which you are by no means obligated to answer, but it’s just some food for thought:
Would we eliminate cows entirely or simply reduce their population? At what point would their population be small enough that they are no longer a problem? If eliminating cows is a reasonable solution, what makes that different from eliminating people? I’m not suggesting that we commit mass murder in the name of climate control. But where is the line for the measures we take to reduce damage to the ozone layer and production of green house gases? From a cow’s perspective, it might not seem fair to take it out on a population (the cows) whose crime it is to exist. But also don’t think it is morally/ethically wrong to eat animals. Hmm, quite the quandary.
Of course many questions arise from this topic and although removing cows would be ideal if we want to deal with the climate change crisis, it’s not possible for many reasons. You bring up a lot of valid arguments, which I think many other environmentalists and farmers are arguing as well. It’s hard to say where this will all go.
I enjoyed reading your blog post since it relates to a big issue in my major area of interest. Something you may find interesting is that a professor at Penn State is currently researching the effects of different nutritional supplements on GHG emissions from cows right here on the campus’s dairy farm! On my home farm, our land is so wet and sloped that it does not produce quality plant based foods for human consumption, but it does produce the perfect feedstuffs for cows. Cows are useful in allowing us to use land not suitable for crops like potatoes or lettuce but it is our responsibility to make sure they are producing beef and dairy sustainably!
Before reading your blog post, I had no idea of the prevalence of this topic. Reading your piece was very interesting and enlightening for me, as I never was aware that just a cow’s excretions produced gas! How remarkable, but very pressing of an issue. I think Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a force to be reckoned with, and seeing her image promotes a strong argument. Though she is controversial to some, it’s hard to doubt her intelligence. With her at the forefront of this issue, I’m sure progress will be made.