Are we all going to become vegetarians? Lots of people are
headed this way or have that question on their mind. Some people swear they
will never make the switch, or that they will never eat lab-grown meat. Is
being a carnivorous heavy world going to be our downfall? If you were to guess
how many pounds of methane a single cow can belch each year you would probably
be wrong. Would you guess 5lbs? 25lbs? 65lbs? Turns out a single cow can belch up to 220 pounds of
methane per year. If one
dairy farmer has five hundred cows that’s 110,000 pounds of methane being
released in the air each year. This is an insane amount of methane being added
to the atmosphere.
Farmers all across America are beginning to realize that
their cows are contributing to climate change. Real California Milk is putting themselves to the test by going green. They
are changing what the cows eat, they are eating almond hulls, and grape
pomaces. By eating these things they are keeping them out of the landfill. The
farmers of California are committed to lowering the methane levels and are 40%
towards their goal of 2030. Also their carbon footprint has plummeted by 45%.
These farmers are creating their own solutions to a problem they have
contributed to in the past.
It is well known that raising and processing cattle takes up
an enormous amount of land. The amount of land that is used solely to feed meat
to humans is an incredible amount. By switching to beans, or another plant, instead of beef, we
could regain 42% of our land here in the United States. By
doing this we would also bring down our greenhouse gas emissions by 334 mmt
(million metric tons). This would in turn accomplish 75% of our carbon
reduction goal for 2020. As you can see, we are incredibly behind on our
reduction goal. Do I think people are going to wake up one day and drop beef
for beans? No. But I think we should be encouraging people to get creative in
the kitchen. Accept the challenge. Sometime in the next month, instead of
reaching for beef try beans. Add some seasoning and it will be great!
Should we be switching to meatless meals indefinitely? I don’t know. The jury is still out on what the suggestion is. Meat is a part of most people’s everyday life and it does have nutritious value. Scientists are saying by lowering the amount of meat you eat you can have an impact. Agriculture and deforestation in use for growing cattle, and processing cattle accounts for 40% of greenhouse gas emission. The businesses have spent billions of dollars in order to keep congress from creating new policies that tighten restrictions on cattle companies. The only way to combat is to lessen the demand.
I am very glad to hear that some farms are taking action to mitigate the amount of methane their cows release, I am hopeful to potentially see the amount of meat consumed on a regular basis lower. I had no idea how much methane cows produced, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say the exact same thing. Glad farmers are noticing the problem and taking action.
DeleteI'd imagine cows are the largest farm animals in terms of what we consume. They certainly take the most land so it was cool you had the statistic of just how much land we'd save by reducing that.
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of conversations weekly with those who have a lot of misinformation on this topic so I am very glad you touched on it! I come from a family of vegetarians, and eat majority plant based in my day to day. I do not find this diet to be a large sacrifice, but I cannot speak on a global scale. As it was mentioned in Nomad Century, I find it hard to believe anyone will want to give up their luxuries they have grown accustomed to. They expect more and better even at the expense of the planet. I also like how you touched on how greenhouse gasses are not just produced by the cattle itself but the agricultural industry that deforests in preparation for it. Not only is it cruelty to the sweet animals, it's a disgusting industry that leads to food waste and needlessly supplies to the wealthiest among us. Encouraging a diversity of plant-based meals is a great start to moving us all in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that this was even an issue. It truly is amazing to see that farmers are realizing that this has been becoming a problem and also that they are taking precautionary measures to avoid contributing to climate change. The fact that we could regain 42% of our land in the United States just by cutting out beef is insane to me.
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting to see how farmers in California are already working to reduce their impact by adjusting cattle feed and repurposing waste. While it won’t eliminate emissions entirely, it’s a step in the right direction. It also highlights the need for innovative solutions.
ReplyDeleteHaving a huge change in our food culture will definitely be hard to do. It seems that it is necessary due to the methane being produced and land that is used for cows.
ReplyDeleteIv always felt having a balanced diet was key, but maybe eating less meat wont hurt much.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that farmers have taken notice to climate change, and I'm glad that they are making a difference in what their cows eat to lessen their methane releases.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting post and idea. I personally did not know that cows can create methane solely from belching, I will definitely be telling people that fact. Our food production plays a huge role in the emissions that we see, I wonder what other parts of the food industry can do to help.
ReplyDeleteThis post was so refreshing as I have this conversation with people at nauseum. Many people don't think about the land and resources that are used to upkeep the meat industry, especially for cows. It is also great to hear that farmers are taking initiative to reduce their methane footprint.
ReplyDeleteEating less meat can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change, as livestock farming, particularly cattle, contributes a substantial amount of methane and requires vast amounts of land and resources.
ReplyDeleteConsidering that beef and dairy cattle make up over 70% of all greenhouse emissions from the agriculture industry and 18% of all total emissions in a year, this is an important thing to keep in mind.
ReplyDeleteYes! This is an amazing post. For years, I have been telling people that eating essential meat can actually save the environment. Beef and cattle are responsible for so much pollution and greenhouse gases that cutting out the slight portions of meat from a meal can make a huge impact on the earth.
ReplyDeleteThis post really stood out especially with this week's reading. Your information just compounded our selections from "Nomad Century" even further. It was interesting to hear about people already undertaking a clean diet to help our climate. On a personal note I loved your authorial voice in this, your humor really shines through.
ReplyDeleteIt is great to see that there are farmers who are making important changes to try to make their industry have less of an impact on the planet and climate change! While I know that there are some people who can't switch to plant-based diets or primarily plant-focused diets for health reasons, it would be amazing to see people start to consume less meat if they are capable.
ReplyDeleteits nice to see that farms are noticing this and taking actions to try and reduce the harm done to the earth however i don't think there will be a day where most of humanity becomes vegetarian by choice
ReplyDeletet's encouraging to see initiatives like Real California Milk taking steps to reduce methane emissions by altering cattle diets and improving sustainability practices.
ReplyDeleteNomad century makes many compelling arguments for shifting to a plant based diet as well but also highlights lab-grown meat as an alternative as well. Do you think this could be an option for people who are anti-traditional plant based diets?
ReplyDeleteGood question, and Nomad Century suggests a lot of other meat alternatives from insects to plankton! For me I'd kind of rather not eat something that still looks like an insect, but maybe made of insect flour??
DeleteThe statistic of a singular cow producing up to 220 pounds of methane per year is shocking. I appreciate that you proposed ways of changing cattle's diet can reduce this impact, and I am pleased to read that so far we are making progress to lower that carbon footprint.
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