REGULAR RANTS

indian cow

283 million.  That’s the number of cows there are in India.  Together with that add the total number of sheep and goats in India, and you have a figure of 485 million.  That’s right.  485 million cows, sheep and goats.  In total these animals are capable of producing an estimated 11.75 million metric tons per year of good old fashioned methane, that is basically farted out after the ruminants have gone through their daily diet of grass.  Nothing really wrong with this gas except it is said to be a greenhouse gas capable of trapping 20 times more heat than carbon dioxide.

A major source of greenhouse gas

Having just discovered this, scientists are frantically working toward producing a diet that allows the animals to stay healthier and produce less gas.  The problem is, most farmers in India are unable to afford expensive supplements that are designed to reduce methane production by livestock.  So scientists in India are trying to develop cheaper technologies and substances that are more affordable by livestock rearers.

See this for the full report.