GLOBAL WARMING FROM DAIRY FARMING-IT’S STRATEGIES & SOLUTIONS FROM INDIA’S PROSPECTIVE
Post no-543 Dt-24/01/2018
Compiled & Edited by-DR RAJESH KUMAR SINGH ,JAMSHEDPUR, 9431309542,rajeshsinghvet@gmail.com
As we know, our PM is in Davos, Switzerland to take part in the World Economic Forum
where the issues related to the global warming are being discussed.Here the representatives from almost every country of the world are participating to discuss the most alarming issue i.e global warming.Being a vet, I thought to let the global warming issue discussed from livestock point of view. In this post I have compiled some facts which is really a great concern for we people who are associated with livestocks.
Livestock are responsible for 18 per cent of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that livestock production is responsible for 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, while other organizations like the Worldwatch Institute have estimated it could be as much as 51 percent
The environmental pollution has adverse effect on the living kingdom whether it be humans, cattle, rodents, aqua life and others. The recently encountered thunder storms of Kedarnath, Tsunamis, earth quakes, flood in Jamu and Kasmir, Hud Hud cyclone, global warming leading to melting of ice glaciers, increase in sea levels etc. are some of the detrimental effects. Many governments and various national and international agencies are working to reduce the effects of carbon emission and to have a green environment. The dairy sector is responsible for 2.7 % of global emission. In dairy sector, the emission starts from cropping the feed for milch animals to the consumption of milk products (Gerber et al., 2010)
Like other ruminants – buffalos, sheep, goats – cows excrete enormous quantities of methane, a green house gas (GHG) capable of trapping 21 times more heat than carbon dioxide, that irretrievably escapes into the atmosphere. India’s livestock population of well over half-a-billion (512 million as per the 19th National Livestock Census in 2012) accounts for more than a sixth of the total GHG from the world’s livestock. EPA (the US Environmental Protection Agency) estimates that “a single cow can produce between 250 and 500 litres of methane a day”. Indian cows, as any animal husbandry expert will confirm, are far more flatulent and produce much higher volumes of methane. Unlike dairy operations in western nations, where the animals are fed scientifically with regular dietary interventions to increase digestive efficiency, livestock in India is relatively undernourished. Only a small handful of farmers are ever able to afford the high cost of regulated feed and dietary supplements.
Green House Gases
The chemicals present in the atmosphere, termed as GHGs have certain radiation blocking properties which trap the sun’s energy in the earth’s atmosphere, creating a type of insulation. This leads to higher temperatures on earth than would otherwise occur. These GHGs are H2 O vapor, CO2 , CH4 , O3 , N2 O, Hydrofluorcarbons (HFCs), Perfluorcarbons (PFCs), Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6 ) (Alfons, 2008). The latest report indicates that CO2 level in the environment has reached to 402 ppm (Kiley, 2014). It is reported that if current rates of emission continue, the CO2 concentrations are projected to reach a range of 535 to 983 ppm by the end of the 21st century (Gupta, 2012).
The emission of GHGs from various domestic and industrial activities are causing global warming. This has led to variation in season and landscapes, rising sea level, stronger storms, increase in heat related illness and diseases. Reduction of GHGs emissions will aid in protecting ourselves, economy and adverse climatic changes (Roger and Brent, 2007). The records of surface temperature over the last century show that there has been a gradual increase in average temperature around the word
Carbon Footprint and Milk Industry
Agriculture today is one of the main reasons why three planetary boundaries (climate change, biodiversity loss and changes in the global nitrogen cycle) have already been transgressed (Rockstromer et al., 2009). It is found that largest share of the GHGs emissions occurs before farm gate (Flysjo, 2012). The most important GHGs generated by dairy industry are methane, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and some refrigerants such as HFCs and CFCs (Vora, 2010). The major source of CH4 emission is due to enteric fermentation of animals (Hospido, 2005). Nitrous oxide (N2 O) emission is due to production and use of fertilizer, manure storage. Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emission occurs due to use of energy at farm level as well as processing level (Thomasen et al., 2008). There are two main sources of GHGs at the manufacturing level which are given below
- Process energy consumption • Fossil fuel consumption for transport
Emission of CFCs and HFCs refrigerant gases from the refrigerating system in the factory may occur in case of leakage from the system. The other important sources of emission are the waste management and packaging of dairy products. Indirect emission outside the dairy plant site occurs due to transportation involved in collection of milk and delivery of products (Vora, 2010). Dairy products are associated with GHGs emissions so as the case for almost all the food products. The demand for dairy products is predicted to be double by 2050 which requires higher production of milk and energy for processing and manufacture of different products. Therefore, it is very important to increase the productivity of our milch animals and to process the milk with minimum use of energy. The process re-engineering, use of renewable energy and optimization of various dairy plant operations are key to reduce the carbon foot print. These challenges can be well addressed by involving effective policy making, R&D work and management at national and international level.
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto protocol is a protocol to the United Nation Framework Convention on climate Change (UNFCCC), aimed at fighting global warming. It is for achieving stabilization of GHGs concentration in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. The Protocol was initially adopted on 11, December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan and entered into force on 16 February, 2005. The protocol has been signed by 187 states (Sheth, 2010). Total number of parties under this protocol is 192. In them 40 are under Annex I, 23 are under Annex II and other are non Annex countries. The protocol allows several flexible mechanisms such as emissions trading, the clean development mechanisms and joint implementation. India signed and ratified the protocol in 26 August, 2002. India is coming under non annex countries.
Reduction of Carbon Footprint in Dairy Sector
The variation in GHGs emissions among dairy farms indicates that there is a potential to reduce the CF (Cederberg et al., 2004). CH4 from enteric fermentation is by far the largest single contributor to the CF of milk at farm level (Beauchemin et al., 2008). Increasing the quality of feed, especially roughage, can reduce enteric CH4 production (Danielsson, 2009). Less use of fertilizer and use of manure for biogas production can also reduce carbon footprint (Holm-Nielsen et al., 2009; Agus, 2011). Synthetic fertiliser (ammonium nitrate) produced with BAT has about half the CF compared to a traditionally produced (Jenssen and Kongshaug, 2003). Optimizing protein feeding can reduce nitrogen emission (Greppa, 2008). Use of alternative energy sources like solar energy, biogas from effluent treatment plant, biomass energy, biomass gassifier (Rathore, 2010) can reduce CF. Reduction in transportation energy, optimum use of packaging material and selection of fuel have great potential to reduce the CF (Berlin and Sonesson, 2008).
An increase in the GHGs emission is noticed each day due to increased population, consumption patterns, production volumes and biggest of all is the ignorance about the detrimental effects of these emitted gas on our life and our future generations. The dairy sector now has a methodology that will allow the calculation of carbon footprint of dairy products. The International Dairy Federation wanted to build a tool to help the dairy sector to identify, quantify and evaluate emissions. The main objective of CF calculation is to build an action plan to reduce GHGs emissions. In order to reduce GHGs emission from dairy sector, it will be crucial to transfer the knowledge to dairy farmers, optimize farming system, reduce the energy consumption and proper management of waste
Are cows the cause of global warming?
A cow does on overage release between 70 and 120 kg of Methane per year. Methane is a greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide (CO2). But the negative effect on the climate of Methane is 23 times higher than the effect of CO2. Therefore the release of about 100 kg Methane per year for each cow is equivalent to about 2’300 kg CO2 per year.
Let’s compare this value of 2’300 kg CO2: The same amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) is generated by burning 1’000 liters of petrol. With a car using 8 liters of petrol per 100 km, you could drive 12’500 km per year (7’800 miles per year).
World-wide, there are about 1.5 billion cows and bulls. All ruminants (animals which regurgitates food and re-chews it) on the world emit about two billion metric tons of CO2-equivalents per year. In addition, clearing of tropical forests and rain forests to get more grazing land and farm land is responsible for an extra 2.8 billion metric tons of CO2 emission per year!
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) agriculture is responsible for 18% of the total release of greenhouse gases world-wide (this is more than the whole transportation sector). Cattle-breeding is taking a major factor for these greenhouse gas emissions according to FAO. Says Henning Steinfeld, Chief of FAO’s Livestock Information and Policy Branch and senior author of the report: “Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems. Urgent action is required to remedy the situation.”
Livestock now use 30 percent of the earth’s entire land surface, mostly permanent pasture but also including 33 percent of the global arable land used to producing feed for livestock, the report notes. As forests are cleared to create new pastures, it is a major driver of deforestation, especially in Latin America where, for example, some 70 percent of former forests in the Amazon have been turned over to grazing.
Are cows to blame for global warming? Are cattle the true cause for climate change?
We cannot deny that farming has a major impact on global warming. Since farming is basically serving the consumer’s demand for food, we should look at our nourishment. With increased prosperity, people are consuming more meat and dairy products every year. Global meat production is projected to more than double from 229 million tonnes in 1999/2001 to 465 million tonnes in 2050, while milk output is set to climb from 580 to 1043 million tonnes.
A Japanese study showed that producing a kilogram of beef leads to the emission of greenhouse gases with a global warming potential equivalent to 36.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2). It also releases fertilising compounds equivalent to 340 grams of sulphur dioxide and 59 grams of phosphate, and consumes 169 megajoules of energy (Animal Science Journal, DOI: 10.1111/j.1740-0929.2007.00457.x). In other words, a kilogram of beef is responsible for the equivalent of the amount of CO2 emitted by the average European car every 250 kilometres, and burns enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for nearly 20 days (New Scientist magazine, 18 July 2007, page 15 ).
The following tables indicates the CO2 production in kg CO2 equivalents per kg of meat depending on the animal:
| 1 kg of meat from | produces kg CO2e |
| beef | 34.6 |
| lamb | 17.4 |
| pork | 6.35 |
| chicken | 4.57 |
Environmental issues related to Indian livestock
Given below are some of the documented facts and issues related to the damage caused by the Livestock industry to the Indian environment.
Carbon emissions
- Livestock constituted 63.4% of the total GHG emissions from agriculture in India.
- Systematic management of manure from livestock is not practised in India. Manure is mainly converted into dung cakes and used for energy in rural areas. It is estimated that about 0.114 mn tons of CH4 and 0.07 thousand tons of N20 are emitted from this source.
- India’s emissions of the greenhouse gas methane from livestock, are larger than any other country
Pollution
- A growing problem with the massive number of cattle in India, is the amount of waste that is created. While efforts have been made to ban large dairies in semi-urban areas because disposal of waste is such a problem, most have not succeeded2.
- The IFPRI-FAO study conducted by Mehta et al (2002) shows that there are bio-security issues associated with industrial poultry production in India such as polluted water, soil toxicity, wastage disposal and health hazards, especially when the production units are located too close to densely populated areas. Soil toxicity occurs when there is a build up of nitrogen and phosphorous in the soil deposited through manure over a period of time. Farms close to population centers and water bodies produce ecological harm due to over concentration of nutrients and human health issues3.
- Main environmental problems of concern are water pollution, air pollution and land degradation
Land
- Deforestation to clear land for pastures, fodder extraction, expanding agricultural cultivation of crops in forests and on grazing lands and the widespread use of fertilisers to grow crops like maize and soyabean are all contributing to rising rates of soil erosion, salinization, alkalization, pollution and desertification in India. Hunger for land for both crops and livestock is also a primary cause of bio-diversity loss
- Grazing intensity in India is already very high. In rainfed areas, the present stocking rate is 1-5 adult cattle units (ACU) /ha against the rate of 1 ACU /ha allowed by government norms, while in arid zones, the stocking rates are 1-4 ACU /ha as against 0.2-0.4 ACU /ha. It is estimated that about 100 million cow units graze in forests against a capacity for 31 million. The quality and productivity of grazing lands are also showing a declining trend due to improper management, unregulated land use, over grazing and lack of reseeding of pastures. It is argued that one of the reasons for deforestation is uncontrolled grazing of livestock in forest land. All these factors contribute to land degradation, particularly in the open grazing areas in the arid and semi-arid ecosystem.
Water
- The report notes with concern the rising consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy products in fast-growing developing countries, which are, “much more water-intensive than the simpler diets they are replacing.”
- Animals need much more water than grain to produce the same amount of food. A much discussed study conducted to estimate irrigation water productivity of dairy animals in Gujarat (Singh et al, 2004), which found that 1,900 to 4,600 liters of virtual water (total volume of water directly and indirectly used to produce a commodity) was used to produce one litre of milk. A large share of this water is used to produce livestock feed.
- Milk and meat production, particularly if based on intensive grain feeds and irrigated forages, requires 10-50 times more water than crop production
.
Water Pollution
- The by-products of animal agriculture—animal wastes and run-off from pesticides and fertilizers used on feed crops— enter India’s rivers, streams, and groundwater. These organic and inorganic pollutants contribute to the contamination of an estimated 70 percent of India’s surface water and an increasing percentage of its groundwater7.
- Production of meat resulted in 3.5 million tons ofwaste-water in 2007. That is nearly 100 times as much waste-water as India’s sugar industry generates and 150 times more wastewater than the manufacture of fertilizer creates
.
Hunger
- The increasing demand for grains to feed livestock will create pressure to cultivate (or /and import) feed grains, which will ultimately compete with grain production for human consumption. Currently India produces only 11 million tonne of maize, of which five million tonne are used for the poultry sector.
while livestock plays a crucial role in the economy, global warming is becoming a huge worry.By burping, belching and excreting copious amounts of methane — a greenhouse gas that traps 20 times more heat than carbon dioxide — India’s livestock of roughly 485 million (including sheep and goats) contributes more to global warming than the vehicles the animals obstruct. With new research suggesting that methane emission by Indian livestock is higher than previously estimated, scientists are furiously working at designing diets to help bovines and other ruminants eat better, stay more energetic and secrete smaller amounts of the offensive gas. Already the world’s largest producer of milk, India will have to yank up production from the current 100 million metric tons to 180 million metric tons by 2021-22 to keep pace with growing population and expanding disposable incomes. Livestock such as cows, buffalo, goats, sheep, horses and mules are indispensable to India’s rural economy — whether the animals are yoked to plow land, raised for milk and manure or harnessed to pull carts to move goods and people. The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that livestock contribute 5.3% to total GDP, up from 4.8% during 1980-81.
For starters, most Indian livestock is underfed and undernourished, unlike its robust counterparts in richer countries. The typical Indian farmer is unable to buy expensive dietary supplements even for livestock of productive age, and dry milch cattle and older farm animals are invariably turned out to fend for themselves. Poor-quality feed equals poor animal health as well as higher methane production. Also, even when Western firms are willing to share technology or when Western products are available, these options are often unaffordable for the majority in India. For instance, Monensin, an antibiotic whose slow-release formula reduces methane emission by cows, proved too expensive for widespread use in India. So the emphasis for Indian scientists is on indigenous solutions. One example is urea-molasses-mineral blocks that are cheap, reduce methane emission by 20%, and also provide more nutrition, so they’re easier to sell to illiterate farmers who don’t know a thing about global warming but want higher milk yields. Most dietary interventions work by checking methogens — microbes that thrive in oxygen-free environments like cows’ guts, where they convert the available hydrogen and carbon (by-products of digestion) into methane, a colorless, odorless gas. The well-to-do farmers should be encouraged to use oilseed cakes, which provide unsaturated fatty acids that get rid of the hydrogen,
Another solution is herbal additives. Some commonly used Indian herbs such as shikakai and reetha, which go into making soap, and many kinds of oilseeds contain saponins and tannins, substances that make for lathery, bitter meals but block hydrogen availability for methogens. The herbs are used in small quantities and the cows don’t seem to mind the taste. “Imagine how much potential they’d have in the international market,
One long-running project has been biogas production — cow dung utilized to make biogas for use in kitchens, and even compressed biogas for use in vehicles. Biogas plants have been very successful, Farmers are able to use biogas in their kitchens, to light lamps and to even drive vehicles.
The grave environmental concerns caused by the livestock industry, including carbon emissions, land & water usage and pollution, is a global phenomenon affecting our global environment, resource availability and sustainability.
With amongst the highest populations & densities of livestock population in the world, the environmental impact of the livestock sector in India gets magnified. Additionally, increased Indian consumption of animal products is expected to be the driving force behind global increases in demand for meat & dairy over the coming decades. As production & consumption continues to grow, India environmental challenges are only going to worsen going forward.
India could set an example for the world on how to utilize indigenous cattle for better public health, maintaining the factors of global warming related to dairy farm animals by utilizing indigenous innovative technology/methods with minimal cost to the environment. Although Environmental scientists from developed countries may blame India for global warming through livestock and dairy animals in particular but history is the proof that from time of onset of human civilization there has been animal husbandry with Indians with harmony to the environment.
Reference-On Request
