Impact of Ruminants on Global Warming:
Indian and Global Context
Partha Sarathi Swain, George Dominic, K.V.S. Bhakthavatsalam
and Megolhubino Terhuja
Abstract According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO), agriculture is responsible for 18 % of the total release of greenhouse gases worldwide and among this emissions from livestock constitute nearly
80 % of all agricultural emissions. Indian poor peoples’ economy is based on his
livestock which is mostly ruminants as a source of meat, milk, wool, etc. Ruminants
produce a huge quantity of the greenhouse gases which significantly contributes to
global warming namely, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide
(N 2 O), etc. On an average, a cow produces around 70–120 kg CH 4 per year which
is 23 times more potent factor to climate change than that of CO 2 . So, 100 kg CH 4
is as potent as 2300 kg CO 2 as a greenhouse gas. So, as a whole, ruminants in world
emit about two billion metric tonnes of CO 2 equivalents of methane per year and
2.8 billion metric tonnes of CO 2 per year due to grazing and grazing land related
issues like deforestation. 70 % forests in the Amazon is been converted to grazing
land. Climate change affects the animal husbandry in India by affecting the dairy,
meat and wool production and thus has severe consequences to Indian economy.
For an instance, heat stress can reduce the feed intake causing reduction in growth,
fertility and reproduction. Water shortage and drought causes reduction in productivity of animal. Again, flood and irregular rain cause life threatening loses to
the farmers. Along with this, change in the environment predisposes to vector-borne
P.S. Swain (&) Á G. Dominic
Dairy Cattle Nutrition Division, National Dairy Research Institute,
Karnal 132001, Haryana, India
e-mail: parthavet@yahoo.com
K.V.S. Bhakthavatsalam
Dairy Economics Division, National Dairy Research Institute,
Karnal 132001, Haryana, India
M. Terhuja
Veterinary Virology, Indian Veterinary Research Institute,
Izatnagar 243122, Uttar Pradesh, India
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
S. Nautiyal et al. (eds.), Climate Change Challenge (3C)
and Social-Economic-Ecological Interface-Building, Environmental Science,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-31014-5_6
83
Indian and Global Context
Partha Sarathi Swain, George Dominic, K.V.S. Bhakthavatsalam
and Megolhubino Terhuja
Abstract According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO), agriculture is responsible for 18 % of the total release of greenhouse gases worldwide and among this emissions from livestock constitute nearly
80 % of all agricultural emissions. Indian poor peoples’ economy is based on his
livestock which is mostly ruminants as a source of meat, milk, wool, etc. Ruminants
produce a huge quantity of the greenhouse gases which significantly contributes to
global warming namely, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide
(N 2 O), etc. On an average, a cow produces around 70–120 kg CH 4 per year which
is 23 times more potent factor to climate change than that of CO 2 . So, 100 kg CH 4
is as potent as 2300 kg CO 2 as a greenhouse gas. So, as a whole, ruminants in world
emit about two billion metric tonnes of CO 2 equivalents of methane per year and
2.8 billion metric tonnes of CO 2 per year due to grazing and grazing land related
issues like deforestation. 70 % forests in the Amazon is been converted to grazing
land. Climate change affects the animal husbandry in India by affecting the dairy,
meat and wool production and thus has severe consequences to Indian economy.
For an instance, heat stress can reduce the feed intake causing reduction in growth,
fertility and reproduction. Water shortage and drought causes reduction in productivity of animal. Again, flood and irregular rain cause life threatening loses to
the farmers. Along with this, change in the environment predisposes to vector-borne
P.S. Swain (&) Á G. Dominic
Dairy Cattle Nutrition Division, National Dairy Research Institute,
Karnal 132001, Haryana, India
e-mail: parthavet@yahoo.com
K.V.S. Bhakthavatsalam
Dairy Economics Division, National Dairy Research Institute,
Karnal 132001, Haryana, India
M. Terhuja
Veterinary Virology, Indian Veterinary Research Institute,
Izatnagar 243122, Uttar Pradesh, India
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
S. Nautiyal et al. (eds.), Climate Change Challenge (3C)
and Social-Economic-Ecological Interface-Building, Environmental Science,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-31014-5_6
83