Cows

As the climate crisis intensifies, reducing global greenhouse gas emissions has become an urgent priority that requires immediate and sustained action. Methane, one of the greenhouse gases, is particularly of concern with its strong ability to trap heat in the atmosphere.

Does eating beef in the U.S. lead to deforestation in places such as the Amazon? That’s an increasingly common question, to which the short answer is no.

But let’s dive into the long answer.

It sounds counterintuitive, but new research is pointing to the fact that instead of merely heating up our atmosphere with the potent gas methane, cows might actually be able to help fight climate change. It all has to do with what happens to methane after it enters the atmosphere, and with the advances American farmers and ranchers have made in the past 70 years.