Introduction:
Steak, hot dogs, and hamburgers. They’re engraved into the very fabric of American lifestyle and culture, it’s hard to imagine a life without beef products. Then again, imagining a life with damaged rainforests, rising sea levels and blazing temperatures seems far in the future as well, but that’s where we’re heading. Staggering heat and global climate change are upon us. In one year, the United States alone emitted 15.1 trillion metric pounds of greenhouse gases into our fragile atmosphere. Thirty-three percent, a significant portion, was produced by the meat, specifically the cattle industry.
Cows release atrocious amounts of methane through a process called cow belching or enteric fermentation. Enteric fermentation is the digestive process when carbohydrates are broken down into easier absorbed compounds, the waste in this process is released as methane. Like carbon, methane is a greenhouse gas, but with an environmental impact of 25 times that of carbon. As the human population rapidly increases, so does the need for food. Thus the amount of cows directly relates to the amount of methane released into our atmosphere. Disaster is imminent if change is not made soon.
Research Question: Does the release of methane in the cattle industry have an effect on global climate change?
Hypothesis: If cuts in the meat industry occur, then there will be a significant reduction inthe amounts of greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere; which will be a major leap towards ending global climate change.
Materials: Computers
Methods:
- I utilized the EBSCO website through the OCPL portal to gather information and chose the sources I wanted to use.
- I clicked the cite link and copy and pasted the MLA format citation into my bibliography.
- I read and evaluated the sources and used the information I found to write my paper.
- I collected graphs and data to insert into my paper.
Data Collection:
This chart demonstrates the different amounts of methane emitted from various type of cattle.
Data Presentation
This graph illustrates the methane emissions produced by the cattle industry through enteric fermentation over 34 years.
Conclusion:
The amount of methane released through cow emissions is an immediate threat to global climate change. It is also a major factor in the overall amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, “The global livestock sector is growing faster than any other agricultural sub-sector. It provides livelihoods to about 1.3 billion people and contributes about 40 percent to global agricultural output.” In other words, the cattle industry, though dangerously toxic, is a much needed staple in the lives of nearly every person on Earth, but the need for change is imminent. The emissions are comparable to those of cars, and have been proven to be more potent by the UN. Bill Nye explains the effect of both factors as “Burning carbon-based substances like oil, gas, and especially coal, produces billions of tons of extra carbon dioxide each year. Methane gas from cows and pigs and other animals on our large farms ends up in the atmosphere as well, trapping more of the sun’s energy as heat.” Meaning that although less in numbers, that methane is more dangerous and will have a more magnified effect.
Evaluation
The data gathered coincides with my hypothesis and proves that the methane produced by the cattle industry has a toxic effect on global change. Obscene amounts of methane are released, and have a more potent effect than carbon and such gasses. However, if regulations were to be introduced, the spiral into destruction would rapidly slow down. Cows in the cattle insudtry are often fed rye grass because it conviently grows fast, but this grass is low in vital nutrients and causes digestive problems. In reality, cows should be fed a high grain diet and hay high in protein, such as alfafa.