Global warming blamed on livestock

[temesvari]

In a most disturbing piece of news a UN report says 18% of global warming is caused by the growing of livestock for human consumption - more than all car exhaust. The political implications are considerable, but this is not, on my part, a call for vegetarianism (I am almost, but not quite, one), only for discussion. The link below is to one of many recent articles on this topic.

Cow emissions more damaging to planet that CO2 from cars

[Chris Amirault]

From the article:

n almost every case, the world's 1.5 billion cattle are most to blame. Livestock are responsible for 18 per cent of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together.

Burning fuel to produce fertiliser to grow feed, to produce meat and to transport it - and clearing vegetation for grazing - produces 9 per cent of all emissions of carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas. And their wind and manure emit more than one third of emissions of another, methane, which warms the world 20 times faster than carbon dioxide.