Concern about the long-term sustainability of livestock production gets a lot of media attention. However, according to Al Rotz, there is fairly limited scientific information out there to support what is being said.
When it comes to livestock and long-term impact, Rotz said, “I don’t see cattle being much of a contributor to global climate change.”
. . . the greenhouse gas emissions related to producing one steer is similar in global warming potential to what is emitted by driving a pickup truck for a year.
Source: Hoard’s Dairyman, November 5, 2018. Link.
The most prevalent greenhouse gas released by animals is methane. While methane is a powerful gas that contributes to global warming, Rotz explained that the life cycle of methane is pretty short. It decomposes in the atmosphere and goes back to carbon dioxide. “This is part of the natural carbon cycle that has been going on forever,” he said.
. . . a pickup truck creates carbon dioxide. For each gallon of fuel burned, about 20 pounds of new carbon dioxide are discharged to the atmosphere. “That carbon dioxide is essentially never going away,” he said.
Also see: Why I’ll keep eating beef over beans to benefit the planet, BEEF, November 2, 2018. Link.
Ignoring the methane that would be produced by people if we consumed buckets of beans each day, the science just doesn’t hold up. . . it would only drop GHG emissions by a fraction of one percent!
Also see: Yes, eating meat affects the environment, but cows are not killing the climate, The Conversation, October 25, 2018. Link.
. . . total direct greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. livestock have declined 11.3 percent since 1961, while production of livestock meat has more than doubled.
INSIGHTS: As families gather over the next few weeks, climate change may enter discussions. So, when your distant cousin complains about the environmental costs from animal protein production, you now have sound science to share. Animal health pros have been politely silent on this topic, but. It’s time to politely assert ourselves, supported by science.
Consider taking the discussion another direction.
A steer weighs about 1,200 pounds at slaughter and the average weight of Labrador retrievers is 70 pounds. So, would the foot print of 17 or 18 labs be equal to a steer? New York City has a population of about 500,000 dogs of which about 35 percent are medium-and large-breed dogs. One might estimate the footprint of larger dogs to be equivalent to a 10,000 head feedlot. Hmm!