Do cows cause climate change? While it’s true that cattle release methane, you might see things differently when you look at the data.
Some people say that cows are bad for the environment. They claim that these ruminants are causing climate change by releasing methane, a greenhouse gas (GHG). They also say that cows are big polluters because their manure runs-off farmland into waterways and kills marine life.
At Go Natural Education, our goal is to present the facts so that you can decide for yourself what’s true and accurate. In this article, we’ll take a look at the role of cows in GHG-caused climate change*. Then, in our next article, we’ll tackle the trouble with blaming cows for all of the agricultural run-off.
*If you don’t believe that GHGs cause climate change, or if you don’t believe in climate change at all, we still think you’ll like this content.
Methane Math
Sure, cows produce methane. It’s a byproduct of their digestive process. Contrary to popular belief, however, and according to a source no less than NASA, cow belching (burping) produces more methane than cow flatulence (farting). So, maybe it’s not such a bad thing that backpacks that store cow farts aren’t such a YouTube sensation anymore.
But how does the amount of methane that’s produced by cows, from either belching or farting, compare to methane from other sources? Check out the pie chart below from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). When you consider that agriculture is bigger than just dairy farming or ranching, cow pies are an even smaller slice of the whole pie.
Climate Change and Greenhouse Gases
Methane is not the only greenhouse gas. Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases are also GHGs. Take a look at the EPA infographic below and pay close attention to the percentages. Also, please remember that “agriculture” is NOT just about cows. It includes everything from raising crops like corn and strawberries to raising sheep and keeping chickens. (Hopefully, the EPA will replace the cow in this infographic someday.)
As you can see, America’s carbon dioxide emissions (79%) are over seven times greater than its methane emissions (11%). The other two GHGs, fluorinated gases (3%) and nitrous oxide (7%), are nearly equal to methane, which runs a distant second to CO2. So, if you wanted to solve the problem of greenhouse gases, would you focus on the bigger numbers or the smaller ones?
It’s About Orders of Magnitude
The purpose of this article is not to dispute the fact that cows emit methane, that methane is a greenhouse gas, and that GHGs are widely (though not universally) blamed for climate change. Rather, the point of what we’ve shared is to encourage you to think for yourself and to consider orders of magnitude. Really, that’s just a fancy way of saying, “let’s look at the sizes of numbers in relationship to each other”.
We hope you’ll remember this article the next time you hear that “cows cause climate change”. You might also consider whether the sources of that statement have an agenda that’s not necessarily data-driven.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like Eat Beef, Save the Planet from Reignite Democracy Australia.