How can we make a significant dent in global greenhouse gas emissions? One potential target is the livestock digestive process, which is responsible for approximately 40% of all methane emissions in the United States, and 25% worldwide. Decreasing these emission sources could not only represent a significant step in mitigating drivers of climate change, but also presents an opportunity to improve the efficiency of milk and beef production in order to meet rising nutritional demands.
Join us from 3 – 5 PM ET (19-21 UT) today as we answer your questions about the quest to reduce livestock methane emissions. We’ll discuss the approaches being taken by our organizations, as well as others in the field, talk about challenges and successes, and share perspectives on how these technological and behavioral changes can help benefit the planet, as well as the bottom line. Ask us anything!
We are:
- Abby Husselbee, J.D. (u/AbbyHusselbee)- Staff Attorney, Harvard Environmental & Energy Law Program
- Ermias Kebreab, Ph.D. (u/UCD_Prof)- Associate Dean, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at University of California, Davis
- Magdalena (Maggie) Masello, DVM, Ph.D. (u/Magda_M1136)- Sustainable Livestock Scientist, Spark Climate Solutions
- Kevin Roelofs, Ph.D. (u/Novel_Vacation5147)- Chief Science Officer, Ample Agriculture
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Comments
Is the goal to specifically reduce the emissions coming out of the livestock by making changes to diet, exercise, giving
Pepto BismolPepto Bismoo, etc., or about capturing the emissions so they don’t enter the atmosphere?Is the focus about gasses coming from livestock, feces on the ground, or both?
1.What about emissions from cow manure?
2.Are cow manure power plants efficient enough, or are they just a small step in the right direction?
3.Can the air in the cow farm be circulated, so the methane from the burps/farts and decomposing waste be collected and then repurposed?
What’s happening with the seaweed thing? It sounds almost like a magic bullet situation. Was it too good to be true or is it just really difficult to implement? Is it actually getting traction but not making headlines? Would love to hear an update on that one.
Do grain-fed cows in CAFOs represent an outsized portion of the problem? Do cows that ingest (mostly corn) grain meal have a harder time digesting and more byproduct as a result? If yes, what is the ratio of CAFO animals to those that are free grazing? My assumption is that it’s like 80/20.
Can we make a dent in the CAFO world when corporations choose grain feed because it’s cheap?
What type of bacteria that mostly produce gases inside of the cow? What mitigation have you so far discovered in order to reduce this type of bacteria?
Many years ag I was told that among humans, we are either methanogens, or we fart CO2 and hydrogen. So basically our gut microbiome can go either way. Is this genetic, or just a random outcome? Either way, are similar differences also found in cattle, or are they all the same when it comes to methane?
What kind of experience have you had across different parts of the world ? Are these discussions more easily had in the EU compared to other regions? Do you know of any success story’s / pilots in Ireland?
I’ve read that if the cows weren’t around to eat the grass, the grass would lead to the same amount of methane output (example article). Would that mean that our future low-methane cows would be better for methane emissions than not having cows at all?
To what extent does the prevalent use of antibiotics in livestock/agriculture affect methane production in cattle. I imagine that similar to humans (and mice) antibiotics drastically affect the composition of the gut microbiome.
Also what kinds of genetic alterations is your company looking at?
Lastly, I’d welcome any advice you may have for breaking into the biotech industry.
How far or close are we in terms of an actual, real-time data visualisation of say, a cow’s molecular composition (can we see in a screen, for example, a cow’s inner parts where we could distinguish its DNA, its proteins)?… Thank you.
>livestock digestive process, which is responsible for approximately 40% of all methane emissions in the United States, and 25% worldwide.
Why do the numbers differ so much?
> Livestock production as a whole accounts for approximately 11-17% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with cows being the largest contributor within this category.
Assuming the desire for something like beef can’t be done away with over time, is it better to have plant based meats like beyond or impossible? Where do those options tank v your other methods to reduce methane?
Anyone who studies this must listen to: Dan Maher’s "Bovine Belching".
How much of a contributing factor is methane to climate change?
What about seaweed? I rhought that was promising.
What if we harness all that methane through extractors and use it for energy?
BTW, I never really thought this was an issue until I went to a farm area in Ontario and realized the entire air there smelled that poop. It was eye-opening.
Are you the folks behind Bovaer? I’ve heard it discussed on Bret Weinstein’s Dark Horse #253 podcast. What are some of the downsides of your product on the cows’ health? More importantly, how would the modified cow’s milk and meat affect our health? I presume any such experimental product would have to be labeled accordingly.
Do you know if there is any difference in the amount of emissions a bison would make compared to the average livestock cow?
I ask because it seems scary to me that there were (according to surface level googling) more bison in America back in the day than there are livestock cows now, and those beasts were probably burpin and fartin a lot too.
Why??? The whole thing of raising and killing animals is outrageous. It’s unnecessary, unethical, inherently inefficient, and damaging to human health and environment.
Why not put your efforts into something that will stop this whole madness?
What are the most promising methods currently being researched or implemented to reduce methane emissions from livestock, and how effective have they been so far?