Impact of global climate change on the health, welfare and productivity of intensively housed livestock

Authors

  • Tadeusz Kuczynski Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Zielona Gora
  • Victoria Blanes-Vidal Faculty of Engineering. University of Southern Denmark
  • Baoming Li Department of Agricultural Structure and Bioenvironmental Engineering, China Agricultural University
  • Richard S Gates Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 1304 West Pennsylvania Ave, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Irenilza de Alencar Naas Agricultural Engineering College, State University of Campinas
  • Daniella J Moura Agricultural Engineering College, State University of Campinas
  • Daniel Berckmans M3-BIORES, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
  • Thomas M Banhazi National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture, University of Southern Queensland

Keywords:

livestock, global climate change, greenhouse effect, animal welfare, heat stress, temperature, cooling, agricultural buildings

Abstract

Abstract: Major scientific studies have shown that global warming (i.e. increasing average temperature of the Earth) is now a reality.  The aims of this paper are to broadly review the underlining causes of global warming, the general effects of global warming on social and environmental systems and the specific effects of resulting from global warming phenomena severe fluctuations in weather patterns, particularly heat waves on livestock health, welfare and productivity.  Finally this article aims to summarise some common sense climate control methods and more importantly to highlight the required future research and development (R&D) work that is necessary to achieve a new level of building environment control capability, and thus ensure that the intensive livestock industries will be able to cope with the changed external climate.  With the increasing temperatures on a global scale, the most direct effect of the high temperature on the animals is heat stress, which has been proven to have a variety of negative effects on animal health, welfare and productivity.  Different potential measures could be taken in future to alleviate the increased heat stress.  Some of these measures are mere adaptations or improvements of current engineering solutions.  However, facing the complex challenges of global warming and particularly resulting from it the rapid increase of the number of consecutive days with significantly higher than average temperatures will probably require novel solutions, including new designs based on solid engineering judgment, development of new engineering standards and codes to guide designs, the exploration of new and superior building materials, the need for better energy management, and the development of substantially more “intelligent” control systems that will balance changing exterior disturbances, interior building loads and demands to the biological needs of the occupants of the structures.

Keywords: livestock, global climate change, greenhouse effect, animal welfare, heat stress, temperature, cooling, agricultural buildings

DOI: 10.3965/j.issn.1934-6344.2011.02.001-022 

Citation: Kuczynski T, Blanes-Vidal V, Li B M, Gates R S, Nääs I A, Moura D J, Berckmans D, Banhazi T M.  Impact of global climate change on the health, welfare and productivity of intensively housed livestock.  Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2011; 4(2): 1

Author Biographies

Tadeusz Kuczynski, Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Zielona Gora

Z. Szafrana 1, Zielona Gora Poland

Victoria Blanes-Vidal, Faculty of Engineering. University of Southern Denmark

Niels Bohrs Alle 1, 5230, Odense, Denmark

Baoming Li, Department of Agricultural Structure and Bioenvironmental Engineering, China Agricultural University

Beijing 100083, P. R. (China)

Richard S Gates, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 1304 West Pennsylvania Ave, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Urbana IL 61801, USA

Irenilza de Alencar Naas, Agricultural Engineering College, State University of Campinas

Campinas, Sao Paulo, (Brazil)

Daniella J Moura, Agricultural Engineering College, State University of Campinas

Campinas, Sao Paulo, (Brazil)

Daniel Berckmans, M3-BIORES, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Kasteelpark Arenberg 30, Leuven (Belgium)

Thomas M Banhazi, National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture, University of Southern Queensland

West St, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia

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How to Cite

Kuczynski, T., Blanes-Vidal, V., Li, B., Gates, R. S., Alencar Naas, I. de, Moura, D. J., … Banhazi, T. M. (2011). Impact of global climate change on the health, welfare and productivity of intensively housed livestock. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 4(2), 1–22. Retrieved from https://www.ijabe.migration.pkpps06.publicknowledgeproject.org/index.php/ijabe/article/view/410

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 2 (2011): IJABE

Section

Invited Review/Research Article

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