Published By: Alfaraz Laique

How greenhouse gas can affect our future

The earth is getting warmer day by day and the greenhouse gases are just adding to it. The emissions of these gases are a result of the activities done by mankind. It is important to identify and control these harmful activities to secure our future.

There are various reasons why greenhouse gas is becoming a bigger threat day by day. There is a careful need to evaluate these reasons. It is surprising to see that agriculture and livestock is one such reason.

Meat and greenhouse gas effect

Meat is the most energy inefficient food. This is because it has a higher energy footprint than any other food. It requires a lot more land, water, and energy to produce meat than any other food. ("World Consumption of Meat") It plays a significant role in climatic changes since it is a large source of greenhouse gas emission. Meat production requires 25 times more fossil fuels to produce one calorie of protein than soybean. It contributes to the global food crisis and reduction in biodiversity. This agricultural sub-sector alone contributes about 7100 million tonnes of CO2 every year, which is about 15% of total human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. (Gerber et al. 2013) All stages of the supply chain of food alone contribute to about 26% of total Greenhouse gas emissions. Half of the agricultural GHG emissions are due to agricultural production, while 15-18% of total CH4 and N2O emissions are a result of directly farming.

Gas emissions from livestock and animal products

The milk produced by cattle and beef accounts for a considerable share of total production. Most emissions, accounting for 41% and 20% of the sector's total emissions, respectively. ("Big Facts on Direct Agricultural Emissions") Pig meat and poultry meat and eggs account for 9% and 8% of the sector's emissions, respectively. Between 1990 to 2012, global CH4 emissions from enteric fermentation increased by 11.2 percent, from 1,869 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent to 2,080 million tonnes, accounting for 38.7% of total agricultural emissions.Between 2012 and 2030, enteric fermentation CH4 emissions are expected to rise by 13.7 percent, from 2,080 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent to 2,365 million tonnes).From 1990 to 2012, CH4 and N2O emissions from manure management increased by 8.7%, from 335 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent to 364 million tonnes, corresponding to 6.8% of total agricultural emissions in 2010.

Conclusion

As alarming and stunning as these facts are, they conclude that the environment while it is required for survival and to provide and sustain life, is, in turn, affected by doing the same. Including all direct and indirect factors of agriculture, the sector alone is responsible for over 30 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions per capita.