If you enter UK Twitter (now X) currently, you will probably need someone to explain what exactly is going on. You will come across words like "cow fart," "milk," "poison," "Bovaer," "3-nitrooxypropanol," "climate change," and whatnot. To make it more confusing, you will see Bill Gates’s name or pictures being thrown into the mix, with some calling for his head. In fact, it may take you a bit of time to piece together what is going on. I am here to break it all down. Come with me.
Methane and Its Climate Impact
Methane belongs to a group of gases known as greenhouse gases, notorious for absorbing reflected solar radiation, thereby causing global warming. With the increase in the planet's temperature comes erratic climate patterns with devastating consequences for biodiversity. When it comes to greenhouse gases, methane may not be as popular as carbon dioxide, but it is more deadly in terms of warming the planet. Carbon dioxide is perhaps more well-known due to the sheer volume emitted anthropogenically compared to methane.
Methane is more dangerous than carbon dioxide in terms of global warming because it is significantly more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Over a 20-year period, methane has a global warming potential approximately 80 times higher than carbon dioxide, making it a potent greenhouse gas despite its shorter atmospheric lifespan. Methane absorbs infrared radiation much more efficiently than carbon dioxide, amplifying its warming effect in the short term. This makes methane a key driver of immediate climate change, exacerbating extreme weather events, accelerating ice melt, and disrupting ecosystems.
Additionally, methane contributes indirectly to warming by creating tropospheric ozone, a harmful pollutant and secondary greenhouse gas, when it reacts with other atmospheric chemicals. Although methane breaks down into carbon dioxide and water vapor after about 12 years, its short-term impact is catastrophic due to its potency and the rapid changes it triggers in climate systems.
Methane and Cow Farts
Cow flatulence and belching consist primarily of methane, carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. Unlike humans, cows and other ruminants produce a significant amount of methane as a byproduct of digestion due to the microbial fermentation of fibrous plant materials in their multi-chambered stomachs, specifically in the rumen.
It is estimated that cattle are responsible for about 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions related to human activities, with enteric fermentation accounting for the majority. Do you see where this is leading? Can’t see it yet? Continue tagging along.
That Controversial Slow Poison
The sheer amount of methane produced by cattle has been a subject of discussion and research among scientists. It is also one of the arguments of vegans against meat eaters, where the former accuse the latter of destroying the planet. Fortunately, a particular compound, 3-nitrooxypropanol, has been identified to have the potential to lower methane production in ruminants.
Research has shown that the compound works by inhibiting the enzyme methyl-coenzyme M reductase, which is critical for methane production in methanogenic microbes. By interfering with this enzyme, 3-nitrooxypropanol reduces the conversion of hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methane, thereby lowering methane emissions from enteric fermentation.
Studies have shown that 3-nitrooxypropanol can reduce methane emissions from cows by up to 30% or more without significantly impacting their health or productivity. This is one of the reasons the compound is being explored as a practical strategy to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in livestock agriculture while maintaining sustainable food production. But there’s a catch.
While the safety of the compound in livestock and humans remains an active area of research, the Japan Food Safety Commission published a report implicating 3-NOP (as the compound is favorably called) in a host of health issues such as chronic toxicity, carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, and developmental toxicity. The report called for caution in the use of the compound beyond a particular concentration threshold per kilogram of body weight per day. For a compound that has been found to have such adverse effects in the short run, one would think that extreme caution would be observed before it is put to use. Alas!
Why Bill Gates’s Head Is Being Called
3-NOP is now being sold as a feed additive for cattle under the brand name Bovaer. The ultimate aim is to reduce cattle-based methane emissions into the atmosphere and mitigate climate change as a result. As expected, none of the toxic effects of the chemical are mentioned while pushing the additive to the public. The product is now being trialed by Arla, a dairy company known for various milk and milk products in the UK and beyond.
Erroneously, Bill Gates’s name is being linked to Bovaer. Bill Gates himself is fully invested in bringing down methane emissions to mitigate climate change via his investment in Rumin8. Rumin8 announced positive top-line results from its three cattle trials of its investigational methane-reducing feed additive sometime this year, and this may have been the reason Bill Gates is being erroneously linked with Bovaer.
To Be or Not to Be?
There is no doubt that 3-NOP, beyond a certain concentration threshold, has detrimental effects in the short run based on the various research available online. Many of these studies span just a few weeks, and the fear is what may be uncovered given more time. I think the introduction of the chemical into trial regimes is being rushed, and the concerns of consumers are valid.
The distrust of the public in big companies that are primarily profit-driven is not born of thin air. If the world is serious about cutting emissions, it is expected that fossil fuel usage, wars, and other anthropogenic activities that produce tons of emissions should be the first to be halted. I will personally be staying away from meat and milk that are 3-NOP-based.
All images in this post were personally taken by me and have been used previously in my post here.
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