There are many ways to reduce our carbon footprint to keep the Earth’s temperature under 2 degrees celsius per the Paris Climate Agreement, but we often talk about reducing emissions through energy sources like transitioning away from coal and gas to renewables.
In good news for the U.S., even as the current administration is poised to gut the EPA and roll back emissions levels set by the Obama administration, the U.S. population has cut 591 megatons of carbon by eating 19% less beef over the past 10 years. This is the equivalent of cutting emissions from 39 million cars. Cows are huge methane gas producers and methane traps 25 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon.
Many countries are addressing the connection between food and climate change. India has been on the forefront of working with livestock to do so. India has bred dwarf cows that are drought resistant, while creating feed that limits the amount of gas cows produce. These cows produce one tenth of methane gas emissions, while being able to withstand extreme heat and drought conditions that are already happening in India due to climate change.