Contribution of Livestock Production to Global Greenhouse Gas Emission and Mitigation Strategies

Source:
By:Ahmedin Abdurehman Musa

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30564/jzr.v1i3.2006

Abstract:

Understanding the interaction of livestock production and climate change is currently the main issue in global warming. This paper reviews the contribution of livestock production in greenhouse gas emission and its mitigation strategies. The potential contribution of individual large ruminants are 200-500 litters of methane per day while small ruminants produces 20-40 litters of methane per day. The major greenhouse gas related to livestock production are methane and nitrous oxide which contribute approximately about 14.5% global GHG emissions. Limiting emissions from livestock, without compromising food security, is an important limit greenhouse gas emissions. The main choices for reducing greenhouse gas emission in livestock production are more related to improving animal production. Mitigating emission of CH₄ by means of improved management of biogas and manure, reducing CH₄ emission from enteric fermentation through improved efficiency and diet, husbandry as well as genetic management are some of strategies used in mitigating enteric emission of methane from livestock. The other one is mitigating emission of nitrous oxide through more efficient use of nitrous fertilizer, proper manure management and by using different feed additives. 

References:

[1] FAO 2009. The state of food and agriculture. Livestock in the Balance (Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). [2] IPCC 2007. Agriculture. In B. Metz, O. R. P. Davidson, R. Bosch, R. Dave, & L. A. Meyer (eds.) Climate Change 2007: Mitigation (Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press), pp. 497 540. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007 [3] Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang, 200669. Livestock and Climate Change. UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), 2012. Global environment outlook 5: Chapter 5. . [4] UN, 2008. World Population Prospects: The 2008 Revision. New York, NY, USA. www.esa.un.org/unpp [5] Delgado, C. 2005. Rising demand for meat and milk in developing countries: implications for grasslands-based livestock production. In Grassland: a global resource (ed. D. A. McGilloway), pp. 29–39. The Netherlands: Wageningen Academic Publishers. [6] Henry, Beverley, and Richard Eckard. 2009. Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Livestock Production Systems. Tropical Grasslands 43:232–38. [7] World Bank. 2009 Minding the stock: bringing public policy to bear on livestock sector development. Report no. 44010-GLB.Washington, DC. [8] F.P. O’Mara, 2011. The significance of livestock as a contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions today and in the near future. Animal Feed Science and Technology 166–167 (2011) 7–15. [9] Aydinalp, C., Cresser, M.S., 2008. The effects of climate change on agriculture. Agric. Environ. Sci. 5, 672–676. [10] SAI. 2014. Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Livestock : Best Practice and Emerging Options. SAI Platform. [11] US EPA. Global anthropogenic non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions: 1990–2020. Washington DC: US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Atmospheric Programs, 2006. [12] Smith, p., martino, d., cai, z., gwary, d., janzen, h., kumar, p., mccarl, b., ogle, s., o’mara, f., rice, c., scholes, b. And sirotenko, o. 2007. Agriculture. In: b. Metz, o.r. davidson, p.r. bosch, r. Dave and l.a. meyer (eds) climate change 2007: mitigation. Contribution of working group iii to the fourth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. (cambridge university press: cambridge, united kingdom and new york, usa). [13] Sarkwa, F. O., E. C. Timpong-Jones, N. Assuming-Bediako, S. Aikins, and T. Adogla-Bessa. 2016. The Contribution of Livestock Production to Climate Change: A Review. Livestock Research for Rural Development. [14] Kebreab, E, K Clark, C Wagner-Riddle, and J France. 2006. “Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Canadian Animal Agriculture: A Review.” [15] Hristov, Alexander N., Joonpyo Oh, Chanhee Lee, Robert Meinen, Felipe Montes, Troy Ott, Jeff Firkins, 2013. Mitigation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Livestock Production– A Review of Technical Options for Non-CO2 Emissions. FAO Animal Production and Health Paper No. 177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2005.08.009. [16] Johnson, K A, and D E Johnson. 1995. Methane Emissions from Cattle. Journal of Animal Science 73:2483–92. https://doi.org/10.2527/1995.7382483x. [17] Gerber, P.J., Steinfeld, H., Henderson, B., Mottet, A., Opio, C., Dijkman, J., Falcucci, A., Tempio, G., 2013. Tackling Climate Change Through Livestock: A Global Assessment of Emissions and Mitigation Opportunities. FAO, Rome. [18] Rojas-Downing, M. Melissa, A. Pouyan Nejadhashemi, Timothy Harrigan, and Sean A. Woznicki. 2017. Climate Change and Livestock: Impacts, Adaptation, and Mitigation. Climate Risk Management 16. The Authors:145–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2017.02.001. [19] United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 1998. Kyoto Protocol reference manual on accounting of emissions and assigned amount. Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC), Martin-Luther-King-Strasse 8, 53175 Bonn, Germany. [20] Havlik, P., H. Valin, M. Herrero, M. Obersteiner, E. Schmid, M. C. Rufino, A. Mosnier, et al. 2014. Climate Change Mitigation through Livestock System Transitions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111 (10):3709–14. https://doi.org/10.1073/ pnas. 1308044111. [21] Casey, Kenneth D, José R Bicudo, David R Schmidt, Anshu Singh, and Susan W Gay. 2006. Air Quality and Emissions from Livestock and Poultry Production/Waste Management Systems. [22] Jungbluth, T., Hartung, E., Brose, G., 2001. Greenhouse gas emissions from animal houses and manure stores. Nutr. Cycl. Agroecosyst. 60, 133–145. [23] Hopkins, A., and A. Del Prado. 2007. Implications of Climate Change for Grassland: Impacts, Adaptations and Mitigation Options. Grass and Forage Science 62:118–26. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2494.2007.00575.x. [24] Henry, B, and R Eckard. 2009. Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Livestock Production Systems. Tropical Grasslands 43:232–38. [25] Morgavi, D P, E Forano, C Martin, and C J Newbold. 2010. Microbial Ecosystem and Methanogenesis in Ruminants. The Animal Consortium 4 (7):1024–36. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731110000546. [26] Steinfeld, H., Wassenaar, T., Jutzi, S., 2006. Livestock production systems in developing countries: status, drivers, trends. Rev. Sci. Tech. Off. Int. Epiz. 25 (2), 505–516. [27] Herrero, M., Thornton, P.K., Kruska, R., Reid, R.S., 2008. Systems dynamics and the spatial distribution of methane emissions from African domestic ruminants to 2030. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 126, 122–137. [28] Bruinsma, J., 2003. World Agriculture: Towards 2015/2030: An FAO Perspective. Earthscan, London. [29] Thornton, P.K., Herrero, M., 2010. The Inter-linkages between rapid growth in livestock production, climate change, and the impacts on water resources, [30] NZAGRC. 2012. The Impact of Livestock Agriculture on of Climate Change The Impact Livestock Agriculture on Climate Change. In , 1–7. [31] McMichael, Anthony J., John W. Powles, Colin D. Butler, and Ricardo Uauy. 2007. “Food, Livestock Production, Energy, Climate Change, and Health.” Lancet 370 (9594):1253–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61256-2. [32] Martin, C., D. P. Morgavi, and M. Doreau. 2010. Methane Mitigation in Ruminants: From Microbe to the Farm Scale. Animal 4 (3):351–65. https://doi.org/10.1017/ S1751731 109990620. [33] Meale, S. J., T. A. McAllister, K. A. Beauchemin, O. M. Harstad, and A. V. Chaves. 2012. Strategies to Reduce Greenhouse Gases from Ruminant Livestock. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica A: Animal Sciences 62 (4):199–211. https:// doi.org/ 10.1080/ 09064702. [34] VAN SOEST, P.J. 1994. Nutritional ecology of the ruminant. 2.ed. New York: Cornell University Press,. 476p. [35] Beauchemin KA, Kreuzer M, O’Mara F and McAllister TA 2008. Nutritional management for enteric methane abatement: a review. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 48, 21–27. [36] ICF International, 2013. Greenhouse gas mitigation options and costs for agricultural land and animal production within the United States. . [37] Itabashi H. 2002. Reducing ruminal methane production by chemical and biological manipulation. In Greenhouse Gases and Animal Agriculture, pp. 139–144 [J Takahasi and BA Young, editors]. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science. [38] Wood JM, Kennedy FS & Wolfe RS 1968. The reaction of multi-halogenated hydrocarbons with free and bound reduced vitamin B12. Biochemistry 7, 1707–1713. [39] Tomkins N. & Hunter R. 2004. Methane reduction in beef cattle using a novel antimethanogen. Anim Prod Aust 25, 329. [40] Goel, Gunjan, Harinder P S Makkar, and Klaus Becker. 2009. Inhibition of Methanogens by Bromochloromethane: Effects on Microbial Communities and Rumen Fermentation Using Batch and Continuous Fermentations. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114508076198. [41] Lascano, Carlos E., and Edgar Cárdenas. 2010. Alternativas Para Mitigação de Emissão de Metano Em Sistemas de Criação de Animais Domésticos. Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia 39 (SUPPL. 1):175–82. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-35982010001300020. [42] Kumar, Anil, Puniya Guru, and Angad Dev. 2013. Controlling Methane Emissions from Ruminants Employing Bacteriocin Controlling Methane Emissions from Ruminants, no. December:140–53. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.3520.2401. [43] Klieve, A.V. and Joblin, K. 2007. Comparison in hydrogen utilisation of ruminal and marsupial reductive acetogens. In R. Kennedy, (eds) 5 Year Research Progress Report 2002 - 2007 , The Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium, Wellington, New Zealand, pp. 34 - 35. [44] Powell, J. M., M. J. Aguerre, and M. A. Wattiaux. 2011a. Dietary crude protein and tannin impact dairy manure chemistry and ammonia emissions from incubated soils. J. Environ. Qual. 40:1767–1774. [45] Hatch, D., H. Trindade, L. Cardenas, J. Carneiro, J. Hawkins, D. Scholefield, and D. Chadwick. 2005. Laboratory Study of the Effects of Two Nitrification Inhibitors on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Slurry-Treated Arable Soil: Impact of Diurnal Temperature Cycle. Biology and Fertility of Soils 41 (4):225–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-005-0836-9.