Livestock-related greenhouse gas emissions - a profile of Bengaluru urban district, India

The major greenhouse gases emitted from livestock are methane and nitrous oxide (direct and indirect). Livestock productions are responsible for greenhouse gas emissions in terms of enteric fermentation, biomass decomposition, manure storage and disposal, and use of fertilizers for fodder. With this context, the study attempts to estimate the methane emissions from livestock and the contribution of emissions from enteric fermentation to global greenhouse gas emissions in Bengaluru urban district using Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2006 guidelines - Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land-use sector by adopting Tier 1 approach. The methane emission from livestock (enteric fermentation) in terms of carbon dioxide equivalent for the year 1990-1991 was 36.125Gg CO2eq while 2012-2013 was 9.850Gg CO2eq. The direct and indirect nitrous oxide emissions from livestock (manure management) for the year 1990-1991 was 15.198Gg CO2eq while 2012-2013 was 11.324Gg CO2eq and in the year 1990-1991 was 93.250Gg CO2eq while 2012-2013 was 68.975Gg CO2eq. The study can be concluded that, the significant decrease in methane and nitrous oxide (direct and indirect) emissions from the livestock was observed over the years. This may be due to conversion of agriculture land to residential and commercial activities and on the other hand livestock population also decreased. The greenhouse gas emission by livestock needs to be quantified to define the magnitude of the impact of livestock on climate change.