Killer Cows of Planet Earth
None of us are safe
Cows are killers. Each year more than 20 people in the United States die at the hands (hooves?) of cows. That’s more people than are killed by sharks, bears, poisonous spiders and venomous snakes.
With more than 37.5 million cows in the US, it’s surprising there are so few deaths.
Now for the bad news
Through no fault of their owns, cows are part of the systematic destruction of the atmosphere you and I depend on for our very lives. Consider these facts:
Each cow on the planet emits an average of two-metric tons of carbon dioxide, a deadly pollutant, each year. That’s about half the CO2 that an average American’s car releases into the atmosphere.
Each cow also emits methane, a colorless, odorless gas that is 28-times more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide and is the primary contributor to the greenhouse effect.
The 1.4 billion cows on the planet generate 14.5% of all the global methan, making cows the sixth largest producer of methane.
Methane generated by cows as you read this will hang around in the atmosphere for the next twelve years.
Methane is a by-product of cow’s digestive processes. As you can imagine, there are a variety of ways they can release this gas, but the majority of it is expelled through burping as they ruminate.
A much smaller amount of methane is released as their manure decomposes. And cows generate a lot of manure.
Solutions
Create feed for cattle that is less gassy. Scientists are doing studies on replacing some high-fiber feed with certain types of seaweed.
Make raising cattle more efficient. For example, 8-percent of the world’s cow population resides in the US, yet, the US provides 18% of the world’s beef.
Stop eating beef. While many people can choose what to have for dinner, that is not a sustainable solution in many poorer countries.
Three Questions
What are you doing to minimize your family’s cow production of methane?
What else are you doing to impact the planet’s atmosphere?
What else could you do?
Send your ideas and suggestions using the Comment button below.
Odd Facts about Cows Known by Few
Oxen are simply cows, four-years old or older, that have been trained to do work.
About half the land in the US is devoted to raising cattle.
Cows do not have four stomachs, as I was taught in grade school. They are ruminants, meaning they have one stomach with four chambers.
Giraffes, goats and sheep are also ruminants. And, part of the methane problem.
US milk production has doubled since 1970, while the number of dairy cows has dropped by 25-percent.
Further reading
Cows and Climate Change | UC Davis
Why methane from cattle warms the climate differently than CO2 from fossil fuels | CLEAR Center
Using Global Emission Statistics is Distracting Us From Climate Change Solutions | CLEAR Center
Which is a bigger methane source: cow belching or cow flatulence? - NASA Science
Cow burps are a major contributor to climate change — can scientists change that? | PBS News Weekend
Farmers, scientists seek solutions to global warming caused by cows
Agriculture and Aquaculture: Food for Thought | US EPA
Ruminant Methanogens as a Climate Change Target
Methane emissions are driving climate change. Here’s how to reduce them.
The Business of Burps: Scientists Smell Profit in Cow Emissions - The New York Times
No, Four Pounds of Beef Doesn’t Equal the Emissions of a Transatlantic Flight | CLEAR Center
Methane | Vital Signs – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Cow Power | Sustainable Conservation
Cow | Description, Heifer, & Facts | Britannica
Well, what a cow of a report.! Kenn, thank you for this striking reminder of the problem that we perpetuate by eating beef--not to mention covering car interiors with cowhide, etc. Also, I like my leather jacket--which, I am happy to report comes from a sheep and not a cow. But, alas, that's a problem, too, isn't it. Thank you for this provocative information. Please keep it up. Dick Hester
Fascinating! I eat very little beef. And I sold my cow last week.