Regional
Cow burps are a climate problem. Can seaweed help?
1.5 billion cows being raised as livestock for meat and dairy are a big climate problem. They produce methane through burps and farts, but changing their diet could reduce that waste production.
There are around 1.5 billion cows on the planet being raised as livestock for things like meat and dairy — and they’re a climate problem we’ve struggled to solve. Cows have a specialized digestive tract that allows them to digest tough plant material like grass or hay, but in that process, methane is produced as waste, and the cows ... burp it out. Methane is a greenhouse gas that’s nearly 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, these burping animals are considered one of the largest sources of methane production in the United States, making up nearly 25 percent of all methane emissions.
You’ve likely heard of a few solutions to this. The loudest one is probably the campaign to get people to cut their beef intake or switch to meat alternatives. It’s an important solution, but people are often reluctant to do it. So instead, some scientists are taking the attention off humans and focusing on the diet of the cows. What they’ve found is that certain additives in cow feed can help reduce methane emissions, and recent work has drawn a lot of attention to one unexpected hero: seaweed.
This episode is presented by Delta. Delta doesn’t have a say in our editorial decisions, but they make videos like this possible. For more information, visit delta.com/sustainability.
You can find this video and the entire library of Vox’s videos on YouTube.
-
World 2 days ago
Harris vs. Trump: Who is leading the polls?
-
Business 1 day ago
ADB allows $320mn for rehabilitation of KP roads
-
Sports 2 days ago
Auburn trolling, USC love and more from CFB Week 2 as told by Lane Kiffin on X
-
Technology 2 days ago
Google Pixel Watch 3 review: third time’s the charm
-
Sports 2 days ago
Pakistan beats China to make semi-finals in Asian Hockey Champions Trophy
-
Business 2 days ago
Petrol price likely to drop by Rs12 per liter
-
Technology 2 days ago
The Life of Chuck dances through the end of the world
-
Entertainment 1 day ago
Kareena highlights not undergoing cosmetic surgery despite aging