Mike Graham

Methane emissions from cattle and fossil fuels differ fundamentally and should not be conflated. Methane emitted by cattle is part of a natural or biogenic cycle. Cattle transform existing carbon in the form of plants and fibrous material into methane through their digestive process. Once released, this methane breaks down after about ten years and becomes water and CO2 molecules. The CO2 and H2O are cycled back into new plant material and the cycle continues. Fossil fuel emissions, unlike those from livestock, release long-sequestered carbon back into the atmosphere, disrupting the natural carbon cycle. By lumping emissions from livestock together with those from fossil fuels, cattle are unfairly vilified when in reality they are an important tool for ecosystem restoration and a source of nutrient-dense sustenance.