Raising livestock accounts for roughly 37% of global methane emissions due to human activity. Methane is considered 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of warming potential. In 2008 scientists were hopeful that relying on Kangaroo meat instead of the traditional ruminants (cows and sheep) would drastically cut down on methane emissions, a potent green house gas (GHG). If argued from a numbers standpoint, sheep and cattle produce 130 and 1840 kilograms of GHG equivalent emissions,respectively, from breaking down grass over the course of a year. Kangaroos on the other hand emit 3 kilograms annually!
The exact mechanism is unknown still due to the differences in microbiology and gut anatomy of the different species, however there could be some significant reductions in GHG emissions by switching over. Neglecting kangaroos propensity for pugilism, implementing a strategy to convert meat eaters around the world that Roo-meat is as tasty as traditional cow and mystery meat could be difficult, so scientists at the Centre for Advanced Animal Science are trying to transplant the microbes from kangaroos into cows, for now with little success.
For those not willing to make the switch from our favorite methane belching livestock, scientists in Germany are working to supplement cattle’s feedstock with fruits, which can drastically reduce methane production when ingested with their traditional food source. The group evaluated apple, citrus, and mango mixed in with cattle feed and found that a specific form of low-esterified citrus pectin, a sugar commonly found in citrus peels was responsible for a decline of about 19% of methane generation! This is a cool way to take a waste (fruit peels) and convert it to a valuable method to reduce methane.
Tagged: cattle, climate, climate change, creative, environment, ghg emissions, global methane, green house gas, kangaroo meat, methane, methane emissions, methane generation, science
