New Zealand plans to charge cattle burps to cut emissions
Cow and sheep burps are huge emitters of methane — which is over 80 times more efficient than CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere. But while livestock is the main contributor to the agriculture sector’s emissions, they are often excluded from emissions trading plans. Soon, that will no Read More...
4 policy strategies to reduce the environmental cost of meat
Many food systems have a detrimental effect on the environment, especially when it comes to the cattle industry. Cheap meat does not reflect its true price when it comes to its negative cost to our planet. So how can we bring meat products up to their true cost without hurting the pockets of the Read More...
Oregon wastewater facility makes its own power with human waste
Two weeks ago, we wrote a piece on upcycling your “business,” going into the green uses some companies found for human waste. Innovation and recycling mean looking everywhere possible for solutions, and The Optimist Daily loves writing about the ones that are found… even if they come out of Read More...
Key ingredient in cat litter could help reduce methane emissions
In recent years, carbon capture technologies have started playing an increasingly important role in our global quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. Now, researchers at MIT have started working on solving another problem — removing methane, a greenhouse gas that’s 80 Read More...
Feeding cattle seaweed could change the world
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and a major contributor to climate change. About 70 percent of agricultural methane comes from enteric fermentation, chemical reactions that occur in the stomachs of cows and other grazing animals as they digest plants. Fortunately, studies have shown that Read More...
NASA research identifies key site for US methane emissions reductions
Back in April, we shared how a NASA project was using satellites to identify sites of extreme emissions generation, also known as “super emitters.” Now, preliminary results from the satellite imagery have already identified areas where a few fixes could go a long way in terms of reducing Read More...
NASA project uses satellites to identify greenhouse gas super-emitters
Greenhouse gas super-emitters are exactly what they sound like: Individual sources like landfills, dairy farms, or leaking pipelines generating enormous amounts of planet-warming emissions, namely methane and carbon dioxide. In the fight against climate change, these big players must be taken out Read More...
This new partnership is mapping out gas leaks in American cities
As major methane emitters, gas leaks are dangerous for human health and the environment, but detecting them is not always easy. This is why the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Google Earth have teamed up to seek out leaks more efficiently. EDF and the Google Earth Outreach Team joined Read More...
These biodegradable straws are made out of methane by bacteria
Greenhouse gas emissions and marine plastic pollution are two of the most pressing environmental challenges the world faces at the moment. A California-based startup aims to tackle both issues simultaneously. Biotech company Newlight, has figured out a way to use a certain strain of microbes to Read More...
Burger King will feed its cows a new diet to cut methane emissions
Fast food chains may have embraced plant-based meat patties, but that doesn’t mean they’ve stopped serving up beef patties. The good news (relatively so) is that Burger King will soon start feeding its cows a new diet that can reportedly cut methane emissions by as much as a third. If it proves Read More...