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Communication in a divided world

Nature Geoscience volume 7, pages 322–324 (2014)Cite this article

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Livestock production accounts for a significant fraction of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Progress in mitigating the adverse environmental impacts of this industry can be improved by shifting research emphases and fostering communication between researchers and ranchers.

There are approximately 1.4 billion cattle in the world, in addition to over 2 billion sheep, goats and buffalo1. These domestic grazers generate around one-third of humanity's dietary protein2,3. In exchange, a large portion of the world's land and resources is used to support these animals. The livestock industry therefore significantly influences the global biogeochemical cycling of elements and climate. For example, increased livestock production has more than doubled many important global nitrogen and phosphorus fluxes2,4,5. Livestock are also associated with approximately 15% of the warming that has resulted from anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases such as methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide5.

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Figure 1: Bison grazing.

© THINKSTOCK/ISTOCK/RACHELBD

Figure 2: The social network of ranchers.

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  1. Joseph M. Craine is in the Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, USA,

    Joseph M. Craine

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  1. Joseph M. Craine
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Correspondence to Joseph M. Craine.

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Craine, J. Communication in a divided world. Nature Geosci 7, 322–324 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2151

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