Cow Farts Causing Climate Change
We all know that air pollution caused by vehicle is the main culprit for climate change. However, now researchers have found that farts and burps of cows have a higher percentage of deadly methane gas
Cows burp and fart a lot. Whenever we fart or burp, a gas called Methane is also given out. This is gas is also present in the burps and farts of cows. There are 1.6 billion cows on earth. Each of these cows releases 100kg of methane in its farts and burps. A new research has said that these farts of burps are badly affecting our environment. I am not joking. Wait let me explain.
Why is this so dangerous? Well, methane gas is a Greenhouse gas. What is a Greenhouse Gas?
In a Greenhouse, where a glass house is built for plants. In the glass house the sun's rays get trapped and the temperature remains the same and does not fluctuate. The temperature remains constant due to certain gases that trap the sun’s heat. This is called the Greenhouse Effect and the gases are called Greenhouse gases. Ozone, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are the four main Greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are present in the earth’s atmosphere as well. These gases trap the heat of the sun on earth and do not allow it to leave. This leads to the famous term ‘Global Warming’ which simply means the is earth becoming hotter and hotter. Hence there is Climate Change.
The smoke that comes out of petrol vehicles also has methane. That's why they say that pollution from vehicle are causing climate change. Researchers say that climate change caused by one cow’s farts and burps is the same as burning 1,000 litres of petrol. Cows are responsible for 18% of the total methane gas in the world. However there is a small good news. Methane lasts only for 10 years in the atmosphere but what can we do to reduce the levels of methane. A Canadian farmer started feeding cows seaweed inorder to save money. When he worked with a researcher he found that his cows gave out 20% less methane. When he fed the cows a type of red seaweed the methane gas became zero. This shows no matter how strange a problem there is always a solution. If farmers start feeding their cows this seaweed, it will be like removing millions of cars from the road.
