Does cow flatulence contribute in any percentage to global warming?

Question

It seems like a silly question, but my chemistry teacher said the methane from cow's farts damages the environment, and is a large contributor to global warming because of the increasing demand for meat and milk. is this true?

Answer 1

Yes! Your teacher is absolutely right. The methane released from any source to the atmosphere is responsible for the global warming because:

Methane, in a very small proportion contributes to the global carbon cycle but is a major participant in the warming of earth’s surface and the atmosphere. According to EPA (1996), atmospheric methane contributes 19% to the enhanced greenhouse effect. The globally averaged concentration of the methane in the atmosphere is about 1.73 ppmv, which indicates that its concentration has almost been doubled in last 200 years from the pre-industrial level of 0.82 ppmv. Unabated increases in the concentration of atmospheric methane may have serious consequences and hence has stimulated more research on the production and transport of CH4 from different sources.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

One of the component of "farts" is methane gas, and that gas is even more effective at trapping infrared radiation (i.e. it is a better greenhouse gas) than CO2 is.
But then, when all is looked at and the "big picture" is drawn, if we did not have cows to eat grass, what would there be? More dears? More rabbits? More free ranging wild buffaloes? And those animals do not release gas maybe?
Arguing over the impact of cattle is one thing, but they evidently are displacing something else that existed before, and what was the impact of those? I have yet to see anything that address this specific issue...

Answer 4

Does a City Bus Fart have anything to do with Global Warming?
It sorta depends on what the cow is fed.

Answer 5

Yes they emit methane, yes methane is bad for global warming, no they do not emit enough to methane to affect the planet's climate. It's time for Fox News to stop the disinformation and stop blaming the poor cows and their digestive system for what people are doing to this planet.

Answer 6

Don't let that teacher fool you. If you put a lit match to your own farts you get FLAMES my man. How much more gascious can this atmosphere be?

Maybe we should all knock off the broccoli and beans...think that'll help??? Tee hee... :>)

Answer 7

Yes it doe's, it may not seem like it, but any and all contribute, and if you've ever driven by large stock yard areas you would see why..

Answer 8

if you ever experience a cow farting, please tell your teacher how it impacted you.