Christopher Papes Gregory Tulchin Colin Sullivan V1003 Climate and Society Fall 2009.
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Transcript of Christopher Papes Gregory Tulchin Colin Sullivan V1003 Climate and Society Fall 2009.
![Page 1: Christopher Papes Gregory Tulchin Colin Sullivan V1003 Climate and Society Fall 2009.](https://reader035.fdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081519/56649f415503460f94c60bd4/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Christopher PapesGregory TulchinColin Sullivan
V1003 Climate and SocietyFall 2009
![Page 2: Christopher Papes Gregory Tulchin Colin Sullivan V1003 Climate and Society Fall 2009.](https://reader035.fdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081519/56649f415503460f94c60bd4/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
The Scientific Issue• 56 billion livestock animals are raised and killed
around the world, and this number is expected to double by 2050.
• Currently, 18 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock, more than the entire worldwide transportation industry.
• 70 percent of the agricultural land, which makes up 30 percent of the earth's surface, is involved in some capacity with raising farm animals.
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Livestock Industry• The industry has succeeded in meeting
demand today, but at what cost?
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Effects on Global Warming• Enteric Fermentation:
– In this process, the large fore-stomach (rumen) of ruminant animals, microbial fermentation converts their fibrous feed into digestible products, which produces methane as a by-product.
– 86 million tons of methane per year.• Manure:
– A dairy cow produces 112 pounds of manure per day and a hog produces about 11 pounds per day.
– 18 million tons per year of methane.
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Effects on Global Warming• Land-Use Change:
– Global livestock-induced emissions from deforestation amount to 2.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year.
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Effects on Global Warming• Artificial Fertilizer Production:
– 14 million tons of nitrogenous fertilizer are produced each year with the fossil fuel consumption emitting roughly 41 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
• On-Farm Fossil Fuel Use:– On-farm fossil fuel use contributes up to 90
million tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere every year.
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Case Study: Australia • Carbon Farming:
– Livestock grazing takes up 56 percent of total land use.
– Involves crop rotation and zero-tillage.
– CO2 naturally seeps into vegetation leaves and attracts fungi. Once the plant and roots dissolve, the carbon is incorporated into the soil. QuickTime™ and a
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Solutions• Improved Efficiency and Better Diets
– Increasing the efficiency of livestock production in the US over a thirty-year period has reduced methane emissions by 170,000 tons while producing 10,000,000 more tons of milk .
• Protection of Forests– International funding is necessary to protect
tropical forests, with money coming from the developed countries to help developing states cope with the problem.
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Conclusion• As China and India continue to develop, their
populations will likely consume more animal products, with meat consumption predicted to double between 2002 and 2020.
• If current methods of raising and harvesting these animals continue, GHGs will rise dramatically.
• New technologies and techniques need to be developed that allow farmers in developing nations to efficiently and effectively reduce the ecological impact of their livestock.
• Furthermore, we need to consider our diet as a contributor to our 'carbon footprint.'