Transcript Climate Change, Greenhouse Gases, and the Livestock Industry

CLIMATE CHANGE,
GREENHOUSE GASES, AND
THE LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY
KASIMIR BOGIELSKI
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
JOHN GLENN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
WHICH PRODUCT GENERATES MORE GREENHOUSE
GAS EMISSIONS?
WHICH PRODUCT GENERATES MORE GREENHOUSE
GAS EMISSIONS?
CLIMATE CHANGE
• Any significant change in the
measures of climate lasting for
an extended period of time
• Includes major changes in
temperature, precipitation, or
wind patterns, among other
effects
• Occurs over several decades or
longer
GLOBAL WARMING
• The recent and ongoing rise in
global average temperature near
earth's surface
• Main factor causing the changing
climate patterns of today
• Caused mostly by increased
concentrations of greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere
THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT
• Natural process
• Human interaction has
caused the intensifying of
the greenhouse effect
• This intensity has in turn
induced a staggering
increase of global warming
in the last century
• Surface temp. has risen by
1.4°F over the past century,
• Projected to rise another
2-11.5°F in the next
GLOBAL EMISSIONS BY SOURCE
•Energy Supply (26% of 2004
global greenhouse gas emissions)
•Industry (19%)
•Land Use, Land-Use Change, and
Forestry (17%)
•Agriculture (14%)
•Transportation (13%)
•Commercial and Residential
Buildings (8%)
•Waste and Wastewater (3%)
GLOBAL EMISSIONS BY SOURCE
•Energy Supply (26% of 2004
global greenhouse gas emissions)
•Industry (19%)
•Land Use, Land-Use Change, and
Forestry (17%)
•Agriculture (14%)
•Transportation (13%)
•Commercial and Residential
Buildings (8%)
•Waste and Wastewater (3%)
THE LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY
• Accounts for about 31% of global green
house gas emissions
• Includes emissions produced by
livestock themselves and emissions
produced by the clearing of forests in
creation of pastures for livestock
• In agriculture only 8% of grain is used
to grow food for direct human
consumption
• Remaining is used to feed livestock
THE LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY GREENHOUSE GASES
• Generates 65% of human-related
nitrous oxide
• 296 times the global warming
potential (GWP) of CO2
• Most comes from manure
• Accounts for respectively 37% of
all human-induced methane (23
times as warming as CO2)
• Largely produced by the
digestive system of ruminants
• 64% of ammonia
• Contributes significantly to acid
rain
SOLUTIONS
• Adopt policies with better
management practices that
focus on land conservation
and more efficient water
and fertilizer use
• Reduce livestock industry deforestation (which accounts for
75% of it!)
• On an individual level: Low or no meat consumption in diet can
contribute to the reduction of green gas emissions significantly!
TAKEAWAY
IF YOU WANT A MORE STABLE WORLD,
EAT LESS MEAT!
QUESTIONS?
SOURCES
• HTTP://WWW.EPA.GOV/CLIMATECHANGE/BASICS/
• HTTP://WWW.GLOBAL-GREENHOUSE-WARMING.COM/GRAPHS-DIAGRAMS-OFGLOBAL-WARMING-AND-CLIMATE.HTML
• HTTPS://WOODS.STANFORD.EDU/ENVIRONMENTAL-VENTUREPROJECTS/CONSEQUENCES-INCREASED-GLOBAL-MEAT-CONSUMPTION-GLOBALENVIRONMENT
• HTTP://WWW.UN.ORG/APPS/NEWS/STORY.ASP?NEWSID=20772#.VFAJ0RAK23X
• HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/GREENHOUSE_EFFECT
• HTTP://CCAFS.CGIAR.ORG/BIGFACTS2014/#THEME=FOOD-EMISSIONS