Why do cows give out high carbon emmissions, compared to us?

Answer 1

because their diet and digestive system produces more of the gas.

Answer 2

Cows do not give out high carbon emmissions, it's methane gas they produce. According to the newest UN report on Global Warming, "Livestock are responsible for 18 per cent of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together." http://news.independent.co.uk:80/environment/article2062484.ece

Don't beleive everything you hear about this subject. There is much misinformation on this topic. Even much of Al Gore's "facts" from his movie are now in question. If you will read the New York Times article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/13/science/13gore.html?_r=1&oref=slogin that came out on 3/13/07, you'll see what I mean. It says basically that it seems Al Gore has exaggerated some of the information in his Global Warming movie... who would have guessed that one? One huge exaggeration of Mr. Gore's was that he said that the water levels could rise 20 feet in New York, Florida, etc. Now, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations body, says it could rise a MAXIMUM of 23 inches... Of course Al was only 18.08 feet off and no one seems to know where he got that 20 foot figure in the first place. It makes you wonder what else he's hyped, doesn't it? It seems to me that if some of his figures were that far off, it brings into suspect whatever else he says... and the scientists that support him.

So after reading about the cows emissions, if Al Gore and all the alarmists really want to do something about climate change, they MUST become vegetarians and shut down cow and pig farms. I mean seriously, if they truly believe that global warming is as disastrous as they are preaching then they need to stop eating meat, period! I seriously doubt that will happen. If not, then they are the hypocrites that some of us already suspect they are.

Also Al Gore preaches to you to conserve, but he does not practice it himself. He uses 20 times more energy in his Nashville mansion than the national average. http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=367
One thing he has not learned is that you MUST practice what you preach... at some point you will get caught as he has.

Answer 3

Cattle carbon emissions are based on their methane bowel gases. Because they have a much longer digestive tract which is used for breaking down cellulose, their food tends to ferment a lot more, creating a lot more gas. The human diet and digestive system doesn't give out as much of these gases as we don't have to break our food down so much. Correct me if I am wrong, but here in New Zealand, cattle produce more total carbon gases than our cars.

Answer 4

we emit for more carbon emmisions than cows. From the elctricity we use and the cars we drive. The carbon emmisions from cows are from methane resulting from breaking down cellulose. They do make a significant contribution though. We have an enormous amount of cattle in order to support our food needs

Answer 5

Have you seen the size of a cow! and with four tummies to make lots of smells.... A human produces on average five litres of gas from there bums a day... Imagine how much a cow must make! LOL

Answer 6

because they expell a large amount of methane due to their digestion processes. Methan is 21 times more warming as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Each cow produes litres and litres of methan a day hence their large contributions

Answer 7

isnt grass/hay hard to digest even for cows..thats why they sit around for hours and hours and hours saving energy just cause it takes so much energy to digest there food..and by the time they are done they ahve to eat again..

completely off topic im just wondering =]

Answer 8

Think this question has been answered adequately. I once read that termites were the largest natural contributor of methane of all living beings .
Small they might be, lots they are ......

Answer 9

also as cows have four stomachs this creates more methane in ther gasses (farts)

Answer 10

coz they are much bigger.