Here is the news exerpt published in Times Of India – Mumbai Edition On 20th -November, 2009.
We expect comments from our readers:
An interesting news item on environmental protection appeared in Times Of India, Mumbai dated 20th Nov, 2009. we wish to share this enlightened approach with all cow lovers and environmentalists.
Sri Jairam Ramesh, Minister of Environment,at the launch of a report by the U.N. on Population made the following observation:
India is not basically a beef eating nation and has helped towards controlling carbon emission. If people stop eating beef and pork, it would lead to the creating of a new carbon sink. We will have to grow more plants and vegetation to make up for the loss of animal food. Millions of tonnes of Methane will also be saved as methane is emitted by flatulent cows…’
Here is the original news clipping:
December 7, 2009 at 9:33 AM
gurugadevara anugraha phala koduthiddu…
December 7, 2009 at 11:19 AM
Gou samrakshane ne edakkella parihara. I hope Ramesh meant what he said. I hope it is not just a Speech by a politician and some action is taken from his side also.
December 7, 2009 at 3:01 PM
Nature’s policy involves give and take. Nature may not mind giving more and taking less, but I think we are not at all giving anything back, on top of it – we have started stealing from nature. Naturally natural calamities are bound to happen.
There are thousands of benefit from cows apart from pure love and peace that we get when we just see a cow (even its photo).
Cows are backbone of India, all these colorful life that we see in Cities and even in some towns now – can be destroyed with just one shake of earth. Let us stop troubling nature, let us start giving back to nature, let us start with “love”, let us love the nature to save it (indirectly saving ourselves)…
Garbage in, garbage out. Let us give good things to nature, let it give greater things back to us.
Let us love the cows, let us love her – COW IS BORN MOTHER, let us love the purity, let us love the peace, let us love the love.
COW IS THE BRAND AMBASSADOR OF PURITY, LOVE, PEACE.
If cows disappear, with that purity – love – peace will also disappear.
December 7, 2009 at 3:33 PM
People talk a lot about “Thanks Giving”, where is “thanks giving” for nature, where is “thanks giving” for cows?
Our mother gave us birth, gave her blood, gave her milk, gave her love, gave her time, gave her life.. after we grow up can we think of eating her for flesh? Then what is the difference between our mother and cow? Milk, butter milk, yogurt, ghee, cheese, medicines (dung and urine), lot more… forget all these – cow gave us love, shows us what is pure love. We talk a lot about dogs and love them, why? Just because it loves us / loyalty, then why not eat dogs also? Apart from products that we use from cows, in irrigation – cows dung and urine can make food as more energetic and more healthy. Can chemicals used in irrigation makes us healthy? Chemicals pollutes and spoils our health and energy. I am sure thousands points can be put, thousands points can be discussed, but what is the use if we do not use our brains and put our thoughts.
Bottom line: Materialistic world. We save money, create house, study, work, etc. WHY? For better tomorrow?! Then save cows, save nature for better tomorrow.
December 7, 2009 at 3:44 PM
Sometimes I feel that we are all crazy, we know that money cannot give everything but still run behind it like dogs, we know that nature is the most beautiful thing on this planet but still don’t enjoy it and don’t respect it. Cow is representative of MOTHER NATURE.
December 7, 2009 at 10:07 PM
This was published in THE PIONEER,New Delhi edition– FRONT PAGE | Friday, November 20, 2009 | Email | Print |
Stop eating beef to cut emissions, says Jairam
M Madhusudan | New Delhi
Stop eating beef to cut emissions: That was the suggestion mooted out by Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh to major beef-consuming nations on Thursday from a UN forum.
“You may laugh at it. But the solution to cut emissions is to stop eating beef. It leads to emission of methane (CH4) that is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. But the best thing for us, India, is we are not a beef-eating nation,” he said, while speaking after the release of the United Nation’s Population Fund’s (UNFPA) report: State of World Population 2009 — Facing A Changing World: Women, Population and Climate.
Ramesh’s suggestion comes amid ever-growing concerns worldwide over livestock methane adding to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and countries like Germany and Australia discouraging its consumption.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, livestock produces 18 per cent of the total GHG emissions, which is even more than the transportation sector.
The simple reasoning: Less consumption of beef means its less production. The cow contributes to GHG emissions by way of producing methane in burps and dung, mostly due to the soyabean and corn in livestock. However, according to various researches, the bigger issue is that the around one billion cattle in the world need 17 times as much land, 26 times water, 20 times fossil fuels, and 6 times as many chemicals. In fact, producing a kilogram of beef takes up seven times more farmland than that needed vis-à-vis chicken.
The United States, which is yet to make a commitment on emission reductions despite being the biggest emitter, leads the pack of the highest beef consumers in the world. According to the statistics of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) and US Dept of Agriculture (USDA), beef consumption in the US in 2009 stood at 12,554 million tonnes (current working estimate — CWE), which is nearly 25 per cent more than what the European Union nations consumed.
Intriguingly, though Ramesh may have put forth his advise, India’s own livestock is pegged at a whopping over 48 crore, arguably the largest in the world. Researches by scientists at the Ahmedabad-based Space Application Centre have shown that together the livestock emits nearly 12 million tonnes of methane annually.
Moreover, a surprising fact is that Indians consume more beef than their counterparts across the borders. FAS/USDA data for the year 2009 pegs the consumption of beef by India at 1,875 MT, CWE. Pakistan on the other hand consumed 1,155 MT, CWE. India’s larger population could be a factor, observers said. According to different researches, reducing beef and pork intake would create a new carbon sink, as vegetation would thrive on unused farmland. Millions of tonnes of methane would be saved every year due to reduced farm emissions.
The simple reason
Less consumption of beef means its less production. Cow contributes to GHG emissions by producing methane in burps and dung, mostly due to soyabean and corn in livestock. However, according to various researches, the bigger issue is that around 1 billion cattle in the world need 17 times as much land, 26 times water, 20 times fossil fuels, and 6 times as many chemicals. In fact, producing one kg beef takes seven times more farmland than that needed vis-a-vis chicken.
December 8, 2009 at 9:19 AM
Let us wish, Sri Jairam Ramesh will enable a discussion in Parliament too on the subject & he will take a lead in all out effort to enact a law on Cow Protection Soon & let all of us stand by & support.
We are seeing a moment of Movement in a right direction with the blessings of our Guruji.
Jai Sri Ram Jai jai Jairam.
December 8, 2009 at 9:19 AM
Guruve namaha !! At last politician have come to know about the importance of “Gou matha”. I think its our prime motto to educate all people and time has to come to take some very serious steps and its every individuals responsibility to contribute from his/her side in any form as much as possible to make the difference
December 8, 2009 at 3:12 PM
Normally Politicians just drops wieghtless words..( and as a ruteen we the public hopes there would be some by next time!!!?? but, right, this time let us pray for the best…:)