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State of the Science Summit: Seven things you don’t have to be a science whiz to wrap your head around

The audience and presenters at the State of the Science Summit held May 2 and 3 at University of California, Davis repped training, degrees, experience, resumes and IQ points worth writing home about. For what may well be the first time, federal and state government agencies, sustainability organizations, scientists, academics and farmers came together to discuss how to make animal agriculture more sustainable by reducing enteric emissions.

California Dairy Sector Poised for Climate Neutrality by 2030, per UC Davis Researchers

Quick facts:
  • California is the leading dairy producer in the United States and is mandated to reduce methane emissions by 40% by 2030.
  • Unlike carbon dioxide, which persists for hundreds of years, methane is a short-lived flow gas that warms at a high level for 12 years.
  • Scientists at University of Oxford have developed a new metric – known as GWP* – that more accurately depicts the warming potential of methane.
  • GWP* can help measure methane’s impact on temperature, which other metrics have been unable to do.

International Panel of Scientists Puts GWP* to Test

Quick Facts:
  • A new paper published in Animal: The International Journal of Animal Biosciences puts GWP* to the test in real-life scenarios. The authors, all internationally known and well-regarded climate scientists, physicists, animal scientist and air quality specialists, use six case studies to compare GWP* to GWP100 and demonstrate the effect various scenarios may have on global warming using each matrix.

GWP* More Useful in Measuring Warming Cause by Livestock Methane Emissions

Quick Facts:
  • First work to apply GWP* to sectoral emissions from a North American animal production system.
  • Serves as case study for the application of GWP* to smaller industry- and locale-specific CH4 emissions data. 
  • GWP* matches the dynamics of warming from declining background CH4 emissions better than GWP-based emissions.

UC Davis CLEAR Center Collaborating with National Pork Board

The CLEAR Center at the University of California, Davis has begun a partnership with the National Pork Board (NPB) to further sustainability research and extension in swine production. The CLEAR Center, led by Dr. Frank Mitloehner, leverages world-class research and science communication to improve sustainability in animal agriculture. 

A Summary of the UN FAO Methane Emissions in Livestock and Rice Systems

The United Nations estimates the world’s population will reach 9.7 billion people by 2050, with the greatest growth occurring in economically less developed countries and regions. Naturally, as the population rises, so will the demand for food. However, along with a population boom, the planet is knee-deep in a climate crisis, and there is a critical need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions before it’s too late.

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Dr. Frank Mitloehner guests on Agritalk Radio to Talk Funding in Animal Science

UC Davis CLEAR Center Director Dr. Frank Mitloehner, who is also a professor and air quality specialist at the Northern California university, joined host Chip Flory and Davis Michaelsen to discuss the recent New York Times and Greenpeace articles discussing the Center’s funding from animal agriculture organizations. 

Mexican cattlemen visit UC Davis CLEAR Center for Zoetis Mexico Sustainability Summit

A delegation of feedlot owners from Mexico came to UC Davis in early November for a sustainability summit with the UC Davis CLEAR Center and Zoetis Mexico. These feedlot owners represented nearly two million head of cattle amongst them. Over two days scientific experts presented the most cutting-edge sustainability science to this group in search of ways to improve their operations.