Sheep Belching Researched to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The Wall Street Journal reports that scientists in New Zealand are studying ways to keep sheep and other ruminants from belching methane when they eat and regurgitate grass. Methane is apparently a significant contributor to greenhouse gases, and researchers currently believe that livestock is more responsible for greenhouse gas emissions than cars. Among the approaches being considered to reduce belching incidence is to change the animals’ diets, feed them various chemicals or even breed new sheep. A livestock expert from Massey University
reportedly acknowledged that “[a] lot of people think we’re insane,” but as awareness of the problem has grown, governments around the world are looking for ways to address it. Farmers, reportedly skeptical of environmental concerns, worry that regulatory agencies will eventually tax “bovine belches,” and face activist campaigns to decrease meat consumption in the name of slowing climate change. See The Wall Street Journal, February 26, 2008.