Sure you've ever heard that cow gases pollute the environment but is that true? Yes, it is true that cow windstorms emit greenhouse gases, such as methane, but it is a process that is part of nature and these gases do not really have a serious impact on the environment. The enemy of the environment when we talk about cows is actually the intensive meat industry and all the greenhouse gases that are emitted in all its processes.
If you want to know more about how the excessive consumption of meat indirectly affects the environment and the negative effects of intensive livestock farming, continue reading this interesting article by Green Ecologist in which we clarify the doubt about whether cows pollute and the contamination of the intensive meat industry will be explained.
Do cows pollute or pollute the intensive meat industry?
There are many natural processes produced in the environment that emit greenhouse gasesFor example, volcanic eruptions are a geological process that emits greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The same thing happens with cow flatulenceThese emit methane as a consequence of enteric fermentation carried out by bacteria on the food ingested by the animal during the digestion process. Although these animals emit methane, it would not be fair to relate methane from cows and climate change, since cows by themselves are not really a great source of contamination to do so. Is the intensive meat industry responsible for these polluting emissions and all those related to its processes. A cow emits between 70 and 120 kilos of methane per year, if the demand and production of meat increases, the number of existing cows continues to increase and as a consequence the methane emissions. In addition, the feeding system of the cows makes them have a slow digestion and, therefore, they end up emitting more methane.
Gas emissions from cows are not the only culprits in the livestock pollution, but all those that come from the different phases that involve the meat industry: from the raising of the cows until the red meat reaches a consumer. The phases of the meat industry cause other types of pollution and threats to the environment, such as contamination and deterioration of the soil, water pollution or the loss of biodiversity.
How much 1 kg of meat contaminates
Rather than wonder how much cows pollute, we should ask ourselves how much pollutes the livestock sector. Currently, it is known that this is responsible for the 14.5% of greenhouse effect emissions, being more polluting than the transport sector. The livestock sector also has needs for million liters of water for their processes and, according to FAO, livestock uses the 30% of the earth's surface and occupies 33% of the entire arable area to produce forage.
Pollution in the livestock sector is increasing, as is the population: more and more meat is produced to meet demand.
Then it will be shown as an example how much 1 kg of meat contaminates, in order to be aware of the problems that the meat industry poses for the environment. It is estimated that, for the production of one kilogram of beef, intensive livestock farming needs an average of about 20,000 liters of water and generates some 27 Kg of CO2.
What is the animal that pollutes the environment the most
In nature, both abiotic and biotic factors can be found, among them there is a synergy that allows all the fundamental processes to occur for life on Earth to occur. As we have already mentioned, the emission of methane through cow flatulence is just one more process that occurs naturally after the animal's digestion process. Methane, if it is found in optimal amounts in the atmosphere, is not harmful to it, the problem is when the emissions of this gas increase and are excessive. If methane emissions have increased, it is due to the intervention of man who, with his activities, including intensive livestock and extensive livestock, has caused the increase in greenhouse gases, as well as soil and water pollution and the threat to biodiversity.
In short, it is the human being the animal that pollutes the environment the most since he is the only one who has made an intense intervention on nature to improve his quality of life. Although all these anthropic activities in the short term are generating a comfortable life for part of the world's population, in the long term they are causing natural resources to be deteriorated and contaminated. Not all anthropic activities have the same impact or are equally polluting, but some examples of human activities that pollute are: deforestation, intensive agriculture and livestock, building in natural areas, abusive consumption of water and mining exploitation, among others.
Here you can learn more about the causes of the greenhouse effect, its consequences and solutions.
Solutions for the contamination of the meat industry
The most extreme solution would be to say stop eating meat, since eating meat pollutes. It does not contaminate the mere fact of eating, but the entire process of its production, but in the end this contamination is also the responsibility of the consumer. This extreme measure could be applied to any product that we consume in excess and that is produced on a large scale, since all this entails high contamination. However, we can choose to eliminate meat consumption and reduce or regulate our consumption of other products, adjusting to what we really need, without exceeding, or there are other options that can be part of the solutions for the contamination of the meat industry and without completely renouncing the consumption of meat:
- Reduce our consumption of meat, because we do not need to consume it daily, much less.
- Reject macro farms and support small producers.
- Promote the consumption of local and organic meat.
- Promote good agricultural and livestock practices without exploiting the land.
- Use of efficient technologies in all phases of the production of meat and dairy products. That is, from livestock until the meat and other products obtained from cattle are packaged.
In this video you can learn more about the topic of cow contamination. We also recommend reading this other article on How to reduce greenhouse gases.
If you want to read more articles similar to Do cows pollute?, we recommend that you enter our Pollution category.
Bibliography- Pérez, A. (2022). NIUS Journal. How much meat pollutes and its relationship with climate change and global warming: https://www.niusdiario.es/sociedad/medio-ambiente/cuanto-contamina-carne-relacion-cambio-climatico-calentación-global_18_2858895372.html
- UN News. Livestock produces more polluting gases than transport: https://news.un.org/es/story/2006/11/1092601
- Zamora, L. A. (2022). The sixth. The wall. How much does what we eat pollute ?: https://www.lasexta.com/el-muro/luis-alberto-zamora/alimentos-menos-contaminantes_201912075dec35fd0cf2460ec8a264b3.html
