Abstract
The FAO publication, Livestock’s Long Shadow, indicated that livestock is responsible for 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas production thereby creating the perception that livestock is a major cause of global warming. Methane (CH4) makes up 16% of total world gas emissions and is the second most important greenhouse gas (GHG) after carbon dioxide (CO2). Ruminants are important to mankind since most of the world’s vegetation biomass is rich in fibre and only ruminants can convert this vegetation into high quality protein sources for human consumption. In spite of this important role of livestock, it is singled out as producing large quantities of GHG that contribute to climate change, since enteric fermentation is responsible for 28% of global CH4 emissions. However, the net effect from livestock is only a 4.5% contribution to GHG. The livestock industry should be aware of the effect of livestock on climate change and therefore it is important that mechanisms are put in place to mitigate this effect. The improvement of production efficiency through increased production per constant unit, crossbreeding and genetic improvement may be a cost effective and permanent way of reducing the carbon footprint of beef cattle.
Highlights
Since 1980, scientific evidence of human interference on the climate placed the question of climate change and its environmental consequences on the world’s political agenda
It is estimated that more than 60% of global methane emissions are related to human activities (IPCC, 2007) and that enteric fermentation is responsible for 28% of global methane emissions
The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations published Livestock’s Long Shadow (Steinfeld et al, 2006), in which ruminants are accused of producing 18% of the greenhouse gas that cause global warming, thereby creating the perception that livestock is a major cause of global warming
Summary
Since 1980, scientific evidence of human interference on the climate placed the question of climate change and its environmental consequences on the world’s political agenda. The Kyoto Protocol, adopted in December 1997 in Japan, officially established goals for emission of greenhouse gas (GHG) for industrialized nations (UNFCCC, 2007). This was followed by the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December 2009, known as the Copenhagen Summit, where a framework for climate change mitigation beyond 2012 was developed. Human-related activities producing methane include fossil fuel production, animal husbandry (enteric fermentation in livestock and manure management), rice cultivation, biomass burning, and waste management. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations published Livestock’s Long Shadow (Steinfeld et al, 2006), in which ruminants are accused of producing 18% of the greenhouse gas that cause global warming, thereby creating the perception that livestock is a major cause of global warming. It is important to URL: http://www.sasas.co.za ISSN 0375-1589 (print), ISSN 222-4062 (online) Publisher: South African Society for Animal Science
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