Largely Increased Nitrous Oxide Emission from Global Livestock Sector during 1860-2014: A geospatial-temporal analysis
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The atmospheric concentration of nitrous oxide (N2O), one of major greenhouse gases, has increased over 121% compared with the preindustrial level, and most of the increase arises from anthropogenic activities. The shift of human diet and the ever-increasing human population pose a huge pressure on the demand of growing livestock population. Of particular interest is how changes in livestock population could alter the environmental health through emissions of greenhouse gases, especially nitrous oxide. Moreover, the quantification of livestock induced nitrous oxide emission with global coverage that characterize consecutive inter-annual variations during historical period is lacking. Thus, in this study, we tried to quantify the magnitude, temporal and spatial variations of livestock-induced nitrous oxide emission during 1860-2014. We include both direct and indirect emission of nitrous oxide from managed soils. We also further analyze the relative contribution of major livestock types on nitrous oxide emission. The results indicated that there was a significant increasing trend of livestock-induced nitrous oxide during 1860-2014. Changes in nitrous oxide emission exhibited highly spatial variability and concentrated in several hotspots during the study period. Less meat consumption is not only good for human health, but also favors for environment-friendly development.