Global Warming: Genesis, Facts and Impacts on Livestock Farming and Mitigation Strategies

Rama Prasad J.; Suhas Sourie J.; Cherukuri V. R.; Lemma Fita; Chala Merera Erge

Global warming is the phenomenon of increase in the temperature of Earth’s surface bringing permanent change in the environment, which is due to release of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs) mainly carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide due to combustion of fossil fuels like oil, gas, coal, electronic goods and other sources. Livestock sector is one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the environmental problems, contributing 12.5-18 % of GHG emissions, which include 9% of carbon dioxide, 37% of methane, 65% of nitrous oxide and 64% of ammonia, of total GHG emissions. Global warming is the mother of all challenges, because it poses a threat of far reaching consequences to societies all over the world. Average global temperatures are predicted to increase by 1.8-3.9oC by 2100. Climate change can bring serious impacts on livestock sector by affecting ecological equilibrium, weather patterns, water source and availability, animal health, agricultural production and sustainable development. Climate change increases heat stress in animals which results in loss of production, a consequence to reduced feed intake. Considering the expected impacts of Earth’s temperature increase, the International community agreed to follow UN climate change protocols held at Kyoto (1977), Rio de Janerio (1992) and recently at Lima (2014) to reduce the GHGs by 25-40% by 2025, by using alternative energy sources for power generation. Every effort should be made to limit the GHG emissions by using renewable energy sources with more nuclear-fossil energy infrastructure and also using bio-fuels. Livestock sector produces considerable amounts of anthropogenic GHG emissions in their production chain. To mitigate GHG emissions from livestock sector, the strategies encompass nutritional interventions, manure management and animal husbandry practices. Among the nutritional strategies, improving forage quality and the overall efficiency of dietary nutrient use is effective. Several dietary manipulations like inclusion of feed supplements like methane inhibitors, electron acceptors, ionophores, plant bio-active compounds, dietary lipids, exogenous enzymes, or direct fed microbial have a potential to reduce enteric methane emissions from ruminants, but economic viability and long term effects have to be established before implemented. Increasing animal productivity and improving animal health care are considered to be effective animal husbandry related mitigation measures. Several farmyard manure management practices like precision feeding, bio-filtration, acidification, deep cooling and composting have significant potential in reducing GHG emissions from manure storage and after application or deposition on soils. A comprehensive and sustainable action plan has to be initiated by politicians, policy makers, producers and consumers to limit the GHGs from all sources including livestock production with urgency and at reasonable cost.

Select Volume / Issue:

• Volume 3,Issue 5, March 2015

Year:

2015

Type of Publication:

Article

Keywords:

Facts and Impacts; Global Warming; Livestock Farming; Mitigation Strategies

Journal:

IJAIR

Volume:

3

Number:

5

Pages:

1494-1503

Month:

March