How serious is the emission of methane from poultry products?
Methane comes from the body of all animals. But the biggest problem is the ecological cost of the global meat cycle. First you cut forests to create pasture land. So you take away the lungs of the earth. Grazing cattle release methane on a large scale; some say that the average dairy cow expels as much methane as a car in a day. Plus, you feed foodgrains to livestock. In growing them, you use chemical fertilisers and pesticides, the manufacture and processing of which releases greenhouse gases. Then you kill these animals and refrigerate them, you transport them to various countries in refrigerated ships. So you are using huge quantities of energy and adding to the carbon footprint. Then the meat goes to warehouses, retail shops, where the story is the same. Even at homes, we have started using bigger refrigerators. If you assess the entire meat cycle from cradle to grave and beyond till you consume it, the impact on the environment is huge. If we cut down on meat consumption, we’ll be
