Why? To create emission-reducing seaweed feed for cattle - the world’s most polluting animal. 4 percent of the world’s methane emissions currently come from cattle, which is twice that of the worldwide aviation industry.
It's the cow farts that are the problem. It may not be the sexiest science, but reducing them would make a huge dent in the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, and help dairy and beef farming become much more sustainable. And this Swedish company - Volta Greentech - believes it has the solution.
Run by an international group of scientists and climate innovators, the team has created ‘Volta Seafeed’, a supplement made from the red seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis. When fed to cows at a daily dose of just 100 grams, the feed reduces their enteric methane (gas fermented in the intestines of cows, sheep and goats) emissions by up to a whopping 80 percent.
The feed has been through several rounds of international testing over the past six years, and Volta Greentech is now working in collaboration with Sweden’s biggest feed company Lantmännen.
With over one billion cows in the world, scaling up production of its seaweed feed is a top priority for the Swedish company. The company plans to tackle Sweden’s cattle first, before expanding internationally.
Today's OGN Sunday Magazine articles:
Nominative Determinism or Aptronym? After the BBC sent Phil McCann to a petrol station to cover the fuel crisis, social media has had a field day.
Earthshot: Prince William and Sir David Attenborough host a documentary series on ideas that could help save the planet. It launches today.