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The virtuous cycle of ruminants:
can adaptation to climate change help mitigation
Pol Lloncha,b, Marie Haskella, Xavier Mantecab, Simon Turnera
aSRUC,
bUAB,
West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, United Kingdom
School of Veterinary Science, Cerdanyola del Valles, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
Leading the way in Agriculture and Rural Research, Education and Consulting
Contribution of ruminants to
climate change
• Livestock are responsible of 12% of global GHG emissions
• Ruminants emit the largest proportion of direct
livestock GHG emissions
– Methane (enteric fermentation)
– Nitrous oxide (manure)
97%
89%
Tubiello et al. (2013) The FAOSTAT database of greenhouse gas emissions
from agriculture. Environ Res Lett 8, 015009.
Livestock´s long shadow,
FAO, 2007.
• Estimations predict a 40% growth of human population
by 2050, increasing demand for livestock products
McMichael et al. (2007) Food, livestock production, energy, climate change, and health. The Lancet
370, 1253-1263.
Mitigation of climate change
• Better management of ruminants can help to mitigate
climate change by reducing emissions of GHG´s;
predominantly methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O)
Mitigation vs. Adaptation
• The fact of climate change
Number of natural catastrophe loss events worldwide
1980 – 2013. Source: Munich Re Geo Risks Research
Estimation of global temperatures till 2100.
Source:5th Report, IPCC (2014)
• Efforts in GHG mitigation should not neglect
adaptation to predicted changes in the climate
Mitigation through Adaptation
Can adaptation marry mitigation?
Adaptation
Mitigation
Efficiency
Adaptation: heat stress tolerance
• Rise of global temperatures
Increase likelihood of heat stress
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007
Adaptation: heat stress tolerance
g CH4/Kg DMI
Low stress-responsive cattle have smaller CH4
emissions
Cortisol extreme groups
Llonch et al. Unpublished data. Association between stress biomarkers
and methane emissions in cattle.
Adaptation: facing new parasites
• Change of the distribution pattern of parasites
Prediction model for liver fluke distribution in the UK
Fox et al. 2011 Predicting impacts of climate change on Fasciola hepatica risk.
Plos one, e16126.
Adaptation: facing new parasites
Better control of intestinal worms is associated
with lower GHG emissions in sheep
(kg CO2e / kg live weight gain
2.55
2.5
2.45
NST: Preventive routine
treatment
2.4
2.35
SPT: Preventive systematic
according to local conditions
2.3
2.25
TST: Preventive systematic
according to weight
2.2
2.15
MT: Therapeutic (after
confirmation of infection)
2.1
2.05
2
NST
SPT
TST
MT
Treatments
Extracted from Kenyon et al. (2013) Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
associated with worm control in lambs. Agriculture 3: 271-284.
Adaptation: coping with extreme events
• Higher frequency of extreme weather events
Floods
Droughts
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007
Adaptation: coping with extreme events
Losses caused by extreme weather events cause system
inefficiency and critically poor animal welfare
% of dead livestock per drought event
in Kenya
80
70
60
50
40
30
Cattle (%)
Shoats (%)
Combined TLU
20
10
0
Extracted from Nkedianye et al. (2011)
*Shoats: Sheep + Goats
Conwy, Wales (UK), December 2015. Source: BBC
Adaptation to extreme events by improving resilience (drought) and risk management
(floods) may result in greater efficiency resulting in lower emission (GHG) intensity.
Conclusions
1. Better management of ruminant production can
contribute to GHG mitigation
2. Expected changes in the climate are predicted to impact
ruminant production decreasing animal welfare and
system efficiency
3. Adaptation to climate change can improve ruminant
production through more efficient animals based on three
principles of improved welfare:
–
–
–
Reduction of stress
Better health
Improved longevity
Acknowledgements
This work was funded by a Marie Curie IntraEuropean Fellowship within the 7th European
Community Framework Programme (PIEF-GA2012-331505).
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