By Tracy Sellers

A groundbreaking summit focusing on one of the world’s most discussed environmental challenges—reducing methane emissions from livestock—was held earlier this year and the organizers have released a written report to summarize key information shared at the conference and to invite others to join them in a collaborative effort to further knowledge around solutions to mitigating methane emissions from livestock.

Read the 2024 State of the Science Report

A groundbreaking summit focusing on reducing methane emissions from livestock was held in May 2024 and the organizers have released a written report to summarize key information shared at the conference and to invite others to join them in a collaborative effort to protect our food supply and the planet we all share.

Organized by The CLEAR Center, The UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Spark Climate Solutions, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the State of the Science Summit: Reducing Methane from Animal Agriculture  was attended by more than 350 people in person and online.

Organized by the UC Davis CLEAR Center, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Spark Climate Solutions, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the State of the Science Summit: Reducing Methane from Animal Agriculture was held earlier this year on May 19-20, 2024. 

The gathering brought together leading scientists, researchers, policymakers, ranchers and state, national and international industry experts to discuss the latest research, share innovative solutions, and foster cross-sector collaboration aimed at mitigating methane emissions globally. The 2024 report on the State of the Science Summit underscores the increasing optimism and momentum behind creating safe, cost-effective, and practical solutions for reducing enteric methane emissions. The 2024 summit expanded upon last year’s success and broadened its reach to include a broader slate of speakers and topics. Highlights included: a panel discussion focusing on the international perspective on livestock methane with speakers from Brazil, Ireland and New Zealand, a discussion on feed additives with representatives from Aarhus University, Colorado State University, Cornell University and Pennsylvania State University, and thoughtful presentations about enteric emissions and meeting global climate goals from state, national and international leaders in agriculture. 

“The State of the Science Summit is a perfect example of the spirit of partnership and collaboration that we cultivate at UC Davis,” said Helene Dillard, dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis. “Our collaborative spirit and committed faculty, staff and students makes us uniquely capable of creating solutions that improve the food we eat, the air we breathe, the animals we nurture, the communities we engage and the planet that we steward.”

The report details the importance of reducing methane in agriculture, especially among livestock. While short-lived in the atmosphere, methane’s warming impact is over 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over the first 20 years. As the world works to meet ambitious climate goals, addressing methane emissions has become a top priority for governments, businesses, and researchers alike.

“I am extremely humbled and encouraged by this emerging industry. The field has grown exponentially,” said Charles Brooke, program lead, Livestock Enteric Methane Mitigation at Spark Climate Solutions.  “I think we have the best chance of mitigating methane emissions, really do right by the climate and preserving animal agriculture in a sustainable manner.”

Why mitigating methane emissions from livestock is important

California has called for an unprecedented 40% reduction in statewide methane emissions by the end of the decade. Daunting as it is, California farmers and ranchers are well on their way to meeting and possibly surpassing the world’s most ambitious goal for cutting methane emissions. What's more, they're achieving this through a range of solutions, many of which are being supported by state incentives.

Emissions of enteric methane, that is methane burped from cattle, are a significant contributor to agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in California, across the United States and globally. Recognizing the urgency to address climate change, consumer product companies are committed to reducing emissions throughout their supply chains. However, reaching their emission reduction goals will be impossible without effectively addressing emissions from the livestock sector, especially among dairy and beef supply chains.

State of the science in reducing greenhouse gases in animal agriculture

The report outlines some of the most promising ways in which those in the agriculture industry can decrease methane emissions. Those include methane-reducing feed additives, rumen genome editing and CRISPR, and breeding and genetics. 

“We’re in a very particular moment in time where we know that there’s no one single entity, one single person, one single organization that can do what needs to be done for the climate crisis,” California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross said. “And understanding the importance of reducing methane emissions all across the sector but especially in livestock is yet another way our farmers and ranchers and all of their partners to show leadership on climate and the ability to build resilience so that we can continue to be food producers for our state, nation and for the world.”

The report also highlights a range of topics related to methane reduction, including new technologies for detection and capture, improvements in agricultural practices, innovations in waste management, and policy solutions. Experts from universities, environmental organizations, and industry leaders presented their latest findings and case studies, providing insights into both the challenges and opportunities for reducing methane emissions.

“We here in California have the most ambitious methane law in the world, it’s called SB 1383, and it mandates a 40% reduction of methane to be achieved by the year 2030, so that’s really around the corner and it’s difficult to achieve because some of the preconditions to achieving it are not being met. For example, we don’t yet have qualification methodologies set for enteric,” Dr. Frank Mitloehner said, director of the CLEAR Center. “We don’t yet have approve protocols so let’s say by some circumstance we were to have a few enteric emission additives available in a month, we could not make use of them because we don’t have qualification methods we don’t have approved protocols. We need to go to work on developing those because otherwise all of the technologies all the research we do will not get us to the desired outcomes. So that is one of the reasons I am particularly pleased to have this kind of mix of people in one room because it forces people to talk to each other across boundaries, industry, agencies, people in academia and so forth.”

Next year’s summit will take place May 19-21, 2025, at UC Davis. 

Registration for next year’s Summit is now open. Find out more information about the summit and read the 2024 report on the CLEAR Center website.

Media inquiries should be directed to Joe Proudman at jproudman@ucdavis.edu.