Question: How much methane does a cow produce in one day and could this contribute to global warming?

Hey Michaelt4

Yes, cows do contribute to global warming. There is lots of research underway to determine how this can be reduced. There are a few different ideas on how to control this, improving diet and feeding alternative substances are two of them.

I just did a little research on this one as I don’t know the stats off the top of my head… Cattle produce up to 250L of methane a day. On my searching I found a few things…

A general article from Dr Karl is here: https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/10/05/3029973.htm

A nice one on some AU research is here:
https://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/agriculture/about-agriculture/newsletters-and-updates/newsletters/how-now-gippy-cow/september/reducing-methane-emissions-from-dairy-cows

And finally, some peer-reviewed research (the best kind because it means it has been evaluated by independent scientists): https://animres.edpsciences.org/index.php?option=com_article&access=standard&Itemid=129&url=/articles/animres/pdf/2000/03/z0305.pdf

They say that “Agricultural emissions of methane in the EU-15 have recently been estimated at 10.2 million tonnes per year and represent the greatest source. Of these, approximately two-thirds come from enteric fermentation (ruminant fermentation in the stomach) and one-third from livestock manure”

Interesting stuff!!