Using ocean to feed cows could slow climate change

Cows have become the latest culprits of global warming. Seaweed, of all things, could help change that.

Cows emit a lot of methane, which is a big factor in the globe’s changing climate. Methane has a shorter shelf life than carbon dioxide, but is far more potent in warming the atmosphere.

That’s why there is worldwide focus on reducing methane releases. Estimates vary, but more than half of all methane emissions in California come from cattle operations, primarily dairy cows, according to Inside Climate News.

Some advocates have been calling for the world’s populations to be weaned off beef and dairy products, which would reduce the population of cows.

But Americans show no sign of giving up on meat, even though consumption has been declining. Meanwhile, demand for meat is rising in developing countries. So, the campaign against eating meat only goes so far.

Scientists at UC Davis, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and the University of New Hampshire are researching ways to make cows — and livestock in general — more environmentally sound. One way to do that is to make their high-fiber diets easier to digest.

A particular type of seaweed has delivered big results, according to Jennifer Smith, a professor of marine biology at Scripps.

Smith joined a UC Davis project to cultivate Asparagopsis taxiformis, a red seaweed used in the research. Smith said adding that to cow feed has reduced methane emissions between 50 percent and 98 percent, with the spread resulting from variables such as how a given cow eats and the quality of the seaweed.

“We really do believe this is going to be one of the fastest ways of reaching methane reduction targets set by the Biden administration,” Smith said Thursday.

Scientists are experimenting with different kinds of seaweed — and getting