Methane emissions from ruminant livestock are currently estimated to be more than 100 million tons each year and, after rice agriculture, represent the biggest human-initiated methane source. Given that fact, there is widespread encouragement for people to reduce their consumption of meat in order to reduce the amount of the potent greenhouse gas going into the atmosphere.
But an additional strategy to lower global methane emissions is to actually reduce the amount of methane produced by each animal. To that end, researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand have now identified new processes that control methane production in the stomachs of sheep and similar animals like cattle and deer.
They determined the specific microbes and enzymes that control the supply of hydrogen, which is the main energy source for methane producing microbes, known as methanogens. Their work is focused on the development of small molecule inhibitors and vaccines to specifically target the production of methane by methanogens. By reducing the supply of hydrogen to methanogens, it is possible to reduce animal methane emissions.
The research involved studying two types of sheep – those producing large amounts of methane and those producing less. They found that the most active hydrogen-consuming microbes differed between the sheep. Specifically, in the low methane emitting sheep, hydrogen consuming bacteria dominated over methanogens.
Ultimately, a strategy might emerge to introduce feed supplements that encourage non-methane producers to out-compete methanogens. Controlling the supply of hydrogen to the methanogens will lead to reduced methane emissions.
Having low-emission cattle would definitely help reduce the impact of agriculture on the climate.
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Scientists discover processes to lower methane emissions from animals
Photo, posted April 7, 2017, courtesy of Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
