Beef is a Grief - Sonam Rinchen

Beef is a grief Have you ever thought that a massive impact has already been caused to t...

Beef is a grief Have you ever thought that a massive impact has already been caused to the climate to get the beef you eat? You haven’t right? They contribute a lot in the warming of our planet. There are about 1.3-1.5 billion cows in this world. Each cow produces about 100kg of methane every year. It might not sound much but methane’s effect on the climate is 23 times more than carbon dioxide. Methane traps the sunlight and makes the planet a whole lot warmer.

Cows are mostly responsible for over 18% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the world. They are also one of the major reasons for deforestation, as farmers cut down trees for grazing. Trees are like our main army to help fight climate change. They trap carbon dioxide from the air for a long time. So when we cut them down, the carbon dioxide trapped inside of them is also released.

Although the methane cows produce, lasts in the air for only ten years and disappear (unlike carbon dioxide, which can last for hundreds of years), it is still a very powerful factor of global warming as mentioned above. Therefore, if we could find a solution to reduce the number of cows raised for meat, we could drastically decrease the greenhouse emissions in the world.

Other than for dairy purposes, most of the cows raised in this world is for meat. So, we should strive towards reducing beef consumption. I am not suggesting you to be vegetarian (it would be good if you could), I am actually suggesting you to reduce the consumption of beef and not eat beef at least once or twice a week. You may also choose to go for lab grown meat, which is expected to hit the market at 10$ per pound in about two years.

Let us as of now say, “beef is a grief!”