Cattle | CLEAR Center

How handling manure waste from dairy cattle impacts greenhouse gas emissions and climate change

by Alice Rocha
May 14, 2021

Effective manure management practices on dairy farms can significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions from dairy cows, lowering their climate change impacts as well as keeping soil and waterways healthy.

Women holding burger, looking quizzically at it.

The Bogus Burger Blame

February 12, 2021

By Frank Mitloehner

One of the most popular meals in America is one of the most maligned.

Climate change is the biggest challenge of our lifetime, which we must address with urgency, but swapping out a hamburger once a month isn’t how we do it. While the burger does have an impact on our climate, which we’re working to reduce, it’s simply not the climate killer it’s made out to be.

Oil Rig: Carbon footprints track back to big oil marketing

Big oil distracts from their carbon footprint by tricking you to focus on yours

October 16, 2020

Marketing efforts distract us from the main climate change polluters by disproportionately blaming sectors such as animal agriculture and the products they produce such as meat and dairy.

How Carbon Neutral is Different than Climate Neutral

October 12, 2020

The terms “carbon neutral” and “climate neutral” are part of the lexicon of global climate change terms. Though they are sometimes used interchangeably, they have different definitions. Understanding the nuances is important.

Methane, Cows, and Climate Change: California Dairy's Path to Climate Neutrality

September 02, 2020

UC Davis White Paper Re-Examines Methane’s Role in Climate Change, and How California Dairy Can Achieve Climate Neutrality

DAVIS, Calif., Sept. 2, 2020 – Researchers from the University of California, Davis are rethinking methane and showing that climate neutrality is within reach for the California dairy sector.

Frank Mitloehner Discusses Livestock, Climate Solutions and COVID-19 Impact on Greenhouse Gases on Podcast

April 21, 2020

In the age of information, it’s often difficult to filter facts from noise. In this episode of Elanco’s Rediscovering the Power of Healthy Animals podcast with Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo and Sarah Place, CLEAR Center Director, Frank Mitloehner, debunks common misconceptions around livestock and greenhouse gas emissions.

Why U.S. Beef Isn’t Causing Deforestation and Land Use Change Elsewhere

February 10, 2020

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.

How Do Cattle Produce Methane?

October 23, 2019

When animals are criticized for the part they play in climate change, most often it’s the cattle that take it on the chin. While beef and other products that come from cattle are popular in the United States and abroad, what cattle are often singled out for is the result of a digestive system that differs from those of poultry and swine, two other favorite sources of protein.

UC Davis Clear Center Amazon Rainforest fire

Use Your Head – the Amazon isn’t Our Lungs

September 02, 2019

While the world should be concerned with the tens of thousands of wildfires that have hit the Amazon wonder, the amount of misguided rhetoric that has sprung forth is disappointing. Of the most confounding beliefs is that U.S. beef consumption is to blame for the blazes.

The Role Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Cows Play in Climate Change

June 28, 2019

By Amy Quinton

Inside the University of California, Davis, dairy barn, a Holstein cow has its head and neck sealed airtight inside a large, clear-plastic chamber that resembles an incubator for newborns. While giant tubes above the chamber pump air in and push air out, the cow calmly stands and eats her feed. Equipment inside a nearby trailer spits out data.