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this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2024
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The issue with using byproducts as animal fodder is that ruminants produce a lot of methane while digesting them. This enteric fermentation in their stomachs accounts for around 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions, while the entire aviation industry sits at just 2-3%. If we give them more food that is harder to digest, they'll emit even more methane per animal.
Biofuels make a lot of sense though. After extracting the fuel, the remaining digestate can be used to produce biochar or be put directly on fields as fertilizer, which is nice because synthetic fertilizers account for 1-2% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Another option is to burn the byproducts for heat or electricity in winter during short periods when there's not enough wind and solar power to cover energy demand.
Slurp up the cow farts for fuel
Isn't there some cow probiotics that can greatly reduce the farting? I'm sure deploying cow Beano at scale couldn't possibly have its own set of problems!
I heard about studies that successfully used algae to inhibit methane-producing microbes in the short term, but I couldn't find any studies that prove its long term efficacy yet. It'll be interesting to see whether the microbes can adapt to the algae in the long term or not.
IMO lab grown meat is the real future of having sustainable and not completely terrible meat production. No need to care for an animal or their digestive system. Sure, it'll have its own supply chain, but that is far more dynamic and changeable than an animal's biology.
For things like steak, I agree. Unfortunately it will take many years to become affordable for the average person, but when it happens, it will be awesome.
For many other categories, plant-based alternatives are already close enough for me. I recently tried the store brand plant based Schnitzel from Lidl (a supermarket/discounter chain here in Germany) and it was surprisingly tasty, given that it doesn't even cost more than factory farmed meat by now.
There are decent burgers, nuggets, kebab, chicken and salami alternatives around as well. It's crazy how much the taste, price and availability of these products have improved in the last 10 years alone. I don't miss real meat by now.