The Environmental Impact of Cows

Cows are vital for the life of humans. They provide milk, which is important for the structure of our bones to grow, and they provide us with meat high in proteins and fats to keep us strong and healthy.

  With all these good things though, the system always has flaws. For example, the National Institute of Health published an article in 2022 saying, “Cattle and sheep production systems contribute the most to GHG emissions in agriculture, accounting for up to 18% of total global GHG emissions, mostly in the form of enteric methane.” This means that cows and sheep alone cause more than 18% of global warming due to the release of methane gas via their burps.

  So, it is already pretty clear the effect cows have on the environment. But do you know why this happens, and is there a way we can stop it? NASA posted this article in 2024 saying “Contrary to common belief, it's cow belching caused by a process called enteric fermentation that contributes to methane emissions.” 

So that answered why but this quote from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2024 says “Daily spreading of manure will have the greatest reduction in methane production but reducing storage time from months to weeks can also have a significant effect. Suitable for all animal types. Suitable for warmer climates that have favorable land application conditions.”  So, simply getting farmers to spread manure can have a great impact on our planet. 

Anyway, remember to always discover the playful side of learning.

National Institute of Health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9559257/#:~:text=Cattle%20and%20sheep%20production%20systems,of%20enteric%20methane%20%5B32%5D. 

NASA:

https://climate.nasa.gov/faq/33/which-is-a-bigger-methane-source-cow-belching-or-cow-flatulence/#:~:text=Contrary%20to%20common%20belief%2C%20it's,for%20absorption%20into%20the%20bloodstream. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection agency:

https://www.epa.gov/agstar/practices-reduce-methane-emissions-livestock-manure-management#:~:text=Decreased%20Manure%20Storage%20Time,-Description&text=Daily%20spreading%2