Impacts of Cattle and Sheep Husbandry on Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Time Series Analysis for Central European Countries

Abstract

Global warming and climate change have become issues that recently have caused much concern in the world. Countries that perform their economic activities without thinking about future generations have had to focus on “sustainability” issues since local and global environmental issues have been experienced. In this context, global warming problems have become one of the most important environmental topics occupying the world agenda and are causing intensive scientific and political discussions. One of the causes of global warming is increasing greenhouse gases, CO2, CH4, N2O, CFC, etc., in the atmosphere. Especially in developing countries, growing populations, industrial development, and increasing demand for energy have triggered greenhouse gas emissions. Yet we cannot ignore the contributions of developed countries to greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, developed countries have brought the world’s attention to sustainability and environmental management systems after contributing negatively to world pollution. While all these discussions are going on, a new issue is the negative effect of greenhouse gas emissions caused by animal husbandry. In order to meet the global meat demand, intensive industrial and traditional husbandry is preferred worldwide. This situation causes increased greenhouse gas emissions and may cause significant problems to the environment and to sustainable agriculture. By considering the negative contribution of animal husbandry to global warming issues, countries may have to enact reforms in animal husbandry policies or pay the price for their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions in the future. The purpose of this study is to present policy options for Turkey, EU-12 countries, and Central European countries in regards to this topic. These analyses will shed light on animal husbandry practices and contribute to the knowledge level of political decision makers and the public.