Methane

Why Do Cattle Produce Methane, and What Can We Do About it?

Why Do Cattle Produce Methane, and What Can We Do About it?

Cattle are special animals that consume foods such as grasses and hays that humans can’t digest, taking those pieces of energy and turning them into milk and meat that nourish people. In the process, part of the energy cows eat results in the production of methane that is belched out the front end of the animal. That’s a conundrum.
Cows on a misty morning near a tree

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.
Cover image of FAO Methane Report

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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Dairy Cow in greenhouse gas emissions measurement head chamber

A new study from Dr. Frank Mitloehner’s lab at UC Davis looks at reducing enteric methane using essential oils

  • by CLEAR Center Staff

Whether or not you subscribe to the ability of essential oils to ease your stress, lighten your mood or give you a feeling of calm, it’s worth taking a look at how some of them are being used as feed additives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions of cattle. A team at University of California, Davis, under the leadership of Frank Mitloehner, Ph.D., published a paper in October 2020, studying Agolin® Ruminant (AGO) and its ability to do just that. The Mitloehner Lab found an 11 percent reduction in methane intensity.

California Dairy CLEAR Center

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

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.

Burger-king-video-methane

Burger King’s “breathe the farts of change” not passing the sniff test

Burger King has been adding lemongrass to cows’ diets in an attempt to cut down on cattle’s methane emissions. Given the greenhouse gas’ role in climate change, it’s a big deal. If nothing else, decreasing methane would buy us time to try and get a handle on carbon dioxide emissions, the No. 1 elephant in the room – and in the atmosphere.
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