Unveiling Overlooked Solutions to Livestock Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Chennai, December 22, 2023 – I recently came across a report by Oxfam highlighting that the top 1% of the world’s population contributes about 50% of the planet’s carbon emissions, while the poorest 10% hardly add to it. It made me realize how often emission solutions are tailored for the wealthy.

This reminded me of a quote from MS Swaminathan, the Father of Green Revolution, “The power of innovation can solve many of the world’s challenges”. I had the privilege of not only working under his guidance but also comprehending what he really meant by innovation.

His perspective on innovation struck a chord with me, especially concerning sustainability and creating a fairer future. I believe one such innovative solution is right in front of us – the traditional Indian cattle sheds, known as gaushalas.

Farm animals, such as cows, contribute approximately 15% to human-induced climate emissions. Methane emitted through a cow’s burps and its manure poses a more potent threat as a greenhouse gas compared to carbon dioxide. However, starting with a cow shed could be an excellent initial step in earnestly addressing global warming.

Start with manure. A cattle shed is home to hundreds of cows in each small town in India. The manure that is collected at these sheds is a perfect input for a compressed bio-gas (CBG) unit. The methane that would have otherwise been released into the atmosphere can become a power source for cooking. Even individual homes can install bio-digesters to put their livestock’s waste to good use.

Another innovative technique involves incorporating Biochar into cattle feed. Scientists globally are exploring this method’s potential to cut methane emissions from livestock significantly. In fact, studies on beef cows in the US revealed that adding biochar to feed reduced methane emissions by 9.5% to 18.4%. Given that methane makes up 90% of greenhouse gas emissions from cattle farming, this could considerably cut cattle’s environmental footprint (Can charcoal make beef better for the environment? – BBC Future)

These cattle-shed projects can follow various protocols and standards such as:

· ARB’s Livestock protocol

· Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) protocols like AMS-III. D. Methane recovery in animal manure, ACM0010 GHG emission reduction from manure, AMS-I.C. Thermal energy production with or without electricity

· Gold Standard’s Revised methodology for manure management systems and MSW methodologies

· American Carbon Registry (ACR) Methane recovery in animal manure management systems

· Climate Action Reserve (CAR) Livestock

· CAR Organic waste digestion protocols

Notably, these should be aligned with Asia’s compliance offset protocols.

However, despite the long-existing practice of gaushalas, this sustainable and innovative solution remains largely untapped. I strongly believe that embracing carbon finance could be the key to unlocking the hidden potential of this solution.

Jay Anand, Associate Director at Athena Infonomics, is a climate change adaptation cum mitigation expert. He has led portfolio of programs and policy discussions in natural resource management, climate change risk assessment & mitigation, ecosystem services and community-based adaptation to climate change vulnerabilities. Jay has completed M.S. in Coastal Geoscience and Engineering, and M.Sc in Geology. His key areas of interest include Water, Agriculture, Forest and Rural transformation and wellbeing, social inclusion and new media.