Beef, we eat a lot of the stuff. And a lot of cows means a lot of gas — and not just from us. It's hitting our climate hard, but there is a solution.
Here are five things to know:
- Methane gas is around 80 times worse for our atmosphere than carbon dioxide. And scientists report that about 3.1 gigatons — or 25% of the world's methane — comes from — wait for it — cows' bottoms (Moo-fart-wow!) and their mouths (burp!). Disgusting, eh?
- A single cow can release up to 500 liters of methane a day, making cows the third-largest total greenhouse gas emitter behind entire nations like China and the U.S.
- It's all about what the cows eat that causes the gases to form. Researchers have found that if they feed cows seaweed, the amount of methane they (ahem) "produce" goes down significantly.
- A supermarket chain in the U.K. has even managed to use seaweed to decrease cow-wind emissions by as much as 80%.
- If seaweed supply is an issue, growing edible algae in vats for feed could also be a solution for cows that don't live quite so near the coast.
- It could be a good start. Even if it only reduces a smaller percentage of methane, it all contributes to the bigger picture. The reality is that if we turn our attention to reducing gas emissions in all parts and areas of our food production, including transportation, distribution and packaging, it could have a far kinder impact on our climate.