Role of Livestock & Poultry

in

Dr. Bhaskar Ganguly

Ph.D., M.V.Sc., B.V.Sc. & A.H.

Understanding global warming

Annual global surface mean temperature increased by 1.46C
during 1880 to 2000
The increase was higher for land (2 C) than for ocean (1 C)
Annual global mean land air temperatures increased by 0.8 C
during 1860 to 2000; the max. difference being 1.1 C
The corresponding values for the Northern & Southern
hemispheres were 0.9 C, 1.2 C & 0.7 C, 1 C, respectively

Understanding global warming

Understanding global warming

Increase in the average temperature of the

earths near surface & oceans over recent
decades & its projected continuation has been
termed Global Warming.

Associated terms

Climate change: can also include global cooling; To stress

upon its human induced nature, climate change is also
known as anthropogenic climate change.
Climate variability: The United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) advocates the
term climate change strictly for human-caused changes
& reserves the use of the term climate variability for all
other changes.

The Greenhouse Effect (GHE)

A natural process that keeps Earth warm
Incoming solar radiation = 341 W/m2

102 W/m2 is reflected (clouds, dust & the Earth's surface)

About half (161 watts/m2) is absorbed by the Earth's
surface & emitted as long wave (infrared) radiation back
to the atmosphere
Some of the infrared radiation is absorbed & re-emitted
by heat-trapping "greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
Albedo: Proportion of incident solar energy that is reflected by the
earths surface

Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)

Gases like water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous
oxide, ozone, etc. have a dipole moment; infra-red
radiations set them in vibrations. Later the molecule, to
regain its ground state, releases a quantum of infrared
radiation, thereby releasing the heat trapped.
% Contribution of different GHGs to GHE
H2O

36-70

CO2

09-26

CH4

04-09

O3

03-07

Greenhouse Gases

Some gases cause greater heating over a given timescale

This ability of a gas (for a period of 100 years) is expressed
as its Global Warming Potential (GWP)

CO2 is the reference molecule; defined to have GWP = 1

CH4 GWP = 23, N2O GWP = 296

Effects of Global Warming

Globally diminishing glaciers
Disruption of ice shelves (e.g. Larsen Ice Shelf)
Sea level rise
Variations in rainfall patterns (floods, droughts)

Increased occurrence of extreme weather events

Water scarcity
Adverse effects on health (warmer temperatures,
increased incidence of vectors/ vector borne diseases)

Little Global warming = Lots of Global warming

Global warming causes water to evaporate
Melting ice exposes land that has lower reflectivity
Lowering of ocean pH causes the release of CO2 from
sediments
Thawing of permafrost marshes would release
additional amounts of GHGs

Even if all activities leading to global warming are

ceased, positive feedback effects may continue for a
period from 500 years up to a millennium!!!

How are livestock responsible?

Livestock are the foremost contributors to Global
Warming!
- Livestocks Long Shadows Environmental Issues & Options, FAO, 2002

Anthropogenic methane production by source, 2010

Source
Paddy farming
Digestion in domestic animals
Biomass burning
Landfills
Collieries
Animal wastes

Approx. contribution
(Teragram; 1012 gms)
100
75
40
40
35
25

How are livestock responsible?

Global meat production is expected to increase from

229 MMT from 1999-2000 levels to 465 MMT in 2050.
The milk output is also projected to boom from 580 to
1043 MMT.
Livestock population, & consequent contribution to
Global Warming, will increase!!!

How are livestock responsible?

Produce large quantities of manure

GHGs are produced by ruminal fermentation & when
manure is managed anerobically.
Methane & nitrous oxide are most readily & directly
associated with livestock rearing.
Livestock account for 37% of all human induced
methane, 65% of nitrous oxide emissions.

They generate CO2 by respiration & ruminal degradation

of feeds.
64% of ammonia, which, though not a greenhouse gas,
contributes significantly to acid rains.

How are livestock responsible?

Methane is produced in the fore-stomach of ruminants

8-10% of gross energy gets converted to methane

25-30 L methane/per Kg of dry matter ingested
An avg. cow (450 Kg) releases 250-300
methane/day, amounting 70 Kg/animal/annum.

Llamas, alpacas, vicunas, camels also produce methane

as does hindgut fermentation in monogastrics.

How are livestock responsible?

Livestock in China & India overtop the world as foremost

contributors to global warming.
-FAO, 2002

In 1997-98, estimated annual methane production by

cattle in India was 11,790 Gigagram (1 Gigagram = 1000
tons).
Decaying dung also produces methane & carbon dioxide.
Nearly all nitrous oxide generated by livestock & poultry
can be accounted to manure, especially poultry manure.
In developing & under developed countries manure is an
indispensable source of fertilizers, which produces
massive amounts of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide,
methane & ammonia.

Indirect role of livestock

Livestock are among the topmost contributors to land
degradation & a major impetus for deforestation.
70 per cent of the forest cover has been cleared in the
Amazon basin & turned over to grazing.
Livestock currently uses 30% of land surface, also
including more than 33% of total arable land.

Over 20% of the worlds pastures are overgrazed,

compacted & eroded.

Indirect role of livestock

Deforestation
upsets
hydrological cycle (Earths
major
circulatory
mechanism)
Growing plants take up
carbon from the abiotic
phases of carbon cycle,
thereby reducing carbon
containing gases like carbon
dioxide & methane.
Deforestation catapults the
carbon back into the abiotic
phase
leading
to
a
concurrent increase in GHGs.

Indirect role of livestock

Livestock are among the forerunning causes of water

source degradation.

Wastes, drugs, tannery effluents, fertilizers & pesticides

used in feed crops & pastures cause water pollution.
Polluted water has greater thermal inertia, i.e. it traps
up heat & takes longer to cool.

Polluted waters have variable reactions on minerals &

may cause the release of GHGs, for example, carbon
dioxide is released from limestone by the action of acidic
water.

Indirect role of livestock

Polluted waters are unfit for human usage; obtaining

water from additional sources like oceans, ice caps or
directly from atmosphere by condensation upsets the
hydrological cycle.

Energy expended for purification of polluted waters is

another source of global warming.
Overgrazing strips off the vegetation making land
vulnerable to leaching & erosion.
Lack of vegetative cover decreases the albedo.
Desertification causes extremely long-term disturbances
in hydrological & ecological cycles.

Tackling the problem

Human practices, not Livestock, cause

Global warming!!!

Tackling the problem

Livestock keeping is a necessity, not luxury!

Region-wise comparison of source-wise contribution to Carbon dioxide emission for the
period 1980-1995; sources of livestock origin are included under Others.

Carbon dioxide emissions by source (million metric tonnes; MMT), 1980-1995

Country/
Region

Transport

Power

Industry

Others

1980

1995

1980

1995

1980

1995

1980

1995

China

83

167

397

1176

673

1402

321

468

Europe

648

936

1508

1420

1084

776

942

779

USA

1252

1580

1748

2269

941

651

698

623

World

3321

4467

6401

8888

5087

4979

3190

3364

Tackling the problem

Livestock keeping is a necessity, not luxury!

Need to rectify human practices including
reformulation of animal diets, introduction of soil
conservation techniques along with exclusion of
livestock from sensitive areas, setting up of biogas
initiatives for the recycling of manure, & the
introduction of full cost pricing of water resources with
taxes to discourage livestock concentration around
cities
- Livestocks Long Shadows Environmental Issues & Options, FAO, 2002

Tackling the problem

Ensiled forages & pelleted feeds

Inhibitors of methanogenesis like chloroform, carbon
tetrachloride, halogenated compounds, ionophores, bromoethanesulphonic acid
Defaunation
microbiota

&

subsequent

introduction

of

suitable

Increase reductive acetogenesis i.e. a process whereby 2

moles of carbon dioxide combine to form acetate

Increase fungal biomass within the rumen to decrease fiber

& methanogenesis
Regular turning of manure in the fields to disallow anaerobic
breakdown
Modification of ruminal bacteria

Much of the present problems are due to excessive human

interventions directed towards exploiting natural resources.

Check human interventions

Let Nature heal itself

Practice Nature-friendly methods