A startup is farming algae to reduce the environmental footprint of cows
In a new factory on the Swedish coast, a startup called Volta Greentech will soon begin commercial production of Asparagopsis taxiformis, a type of red seaweed that’s never before been grown on land. The seaweed is being farmed because it has a unique ability to fight climate change: When it’s Read More...
A supplement for cows that curbs climate change-causing burps is catching on
There’s a farm in England that now markets its milk as “climate-smart”, but what does that really mean? Apparently, Brades Farm, is one the first to begin feeding its cattle a new supplement that shrinks the amount of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, that cows emit when they belch, thus Read More...
Methane-loving microbes may help reduce emissions from melting permafrost
As the climate warms up, polar ice and glaciers aren’t the only things at risk melting. Permafrost — the frozen layer of soil that underlies the Arctic tundra — is beginning to thaw as well, with scientists concerned that this will release huge amounts of greenhouse gases stored there. But Read More...
Pink seaweed could fight climate change by stopping cows from burping methane
While carbon dioxide is typically painted as the bad boy of greenhouse gases, methane is roughly 30 times more potent as a heat-trapping gas. And one of the biggest sources of the gas comes from agriculture or, more specifically, from cow burps. In 2014 Australian scientists discovered that a Read More...
Researchers come up with carbon-neutral way to store excess energy as methane
One of the major drawbacks to renewable energy sources like wind and solar is that we don't have an effective way to store excess energy. When the wind blows, we might have more than enough energy to feed the grid, but we can't store the surplus. Then, on breezeless days, we're left powerless. As Read More...