Feed additives are not a silver bullet. We can't "clean coal" our way out of fossil fuels & we can't avoid the reality that too many cows are driving emissions AND causing widespread harm to watersheds & wildlife. We need LESS cattle for any of this to work. Read: medium.com/center-for-b... - ThreadSky

jennifermolidor.bsky.social • 57 days ago

Feed additives are not a silver bullet. We can't "clean coal" our way out of fossil fuels & we can't avoid the reality that too many cows are driving emissions AND causing widespread harm to watersheds & wildlife. We need LESS cattle for any of this to work.

Read: https://medium.com/center-for-biological-diversity/feeding-cows-seaweed-to-fight-the-climate-crisis-3ebeb6afe5c3

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sugarbear420.bsky.social•57 days ago

We need to eliminate commercial feed for cattle, they can graze or die.

cyberfuturist.bsky.social•56 days ago

Grazing is actually much more ecologically intensive

Grazed cows produce more methane emissions, occupy more land, drink more water, and pollute more waterways according to studies

sugarbear420.bsky.social•56 days ago

Studies you fail to share? Oh, ok

sugarbear420.bsky.social•56 days ago

If you share the studies, also share who funded them please

jennifermolidor.bsky.social•56 days ago

It’s true that grazing is ecologically intensive. Commercial feed crops are also destructive. The reality is neither model is sustainable. Grazing is a key threat to many endangered species. Seaweed pellets for grazing beef cattle are also not a viable solution. Here are resources:

https://grazingfacts.com/

jennifermolidor.bsky.social•56 days ago

Here is a guide to the ways in which cattle production harms wildlife and ecosystems (grazing systems being a key threat) https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/pdfs/guide-to-the-impact-of-beef-production-on-wildlife-and-biodiversity.pdf

cyberfuturist.bsky.social•56 days ago

Here's another one

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aad401/meta

cyberfuturist.bsky.social•56 days ago

No need to be hostile about it

I can't find the exact study, because I took this screenshot a couple of years ago and wasn't sure if I even still had it, but as you can see, it's from an article from the University of Texas talking about the study and this is what they found:

jennifermolidor.bsky.social•56 days ago

Grazing cattle consume harder to digest material = gassy cattle and more methane. Grazing cattle are the reason wolves & other species get killed, land gets deforested & waterways degraded. Feedcrops take an enormous amount of water too. Both systems graze cattle & use feed or supplemental feed.

cyberfuturist.bsky.social•56 days ago

I'm aware

I had forgotten that I took this screenshot from an article about methane emissions from grazed cattle in the Brazilian Amazon however, which is of course resulting in intentional deforestation burns, species extinction, Indigenous land conflicts, etc to secure grazing pastureland

cyberfuturist.bsky.social•56 days ago

Found the article actually

https://sites.utexas.edu/mecc/2014/03/09/emissions/

cyberfuturist.bsky.social•56 days ago

This seems to be the quoted study

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/2/2/127

timeissliding.bsky.social•57 days ago

Feed additives are a feeble & partial way to reduce the symptoms. What is really needed is the simple & 100% effective way to deal with the root cause of the climate change & ecological impacts of animal based foods & other products of animal origin: mass adoption of vegan lifestyles.

oxtale.bsky.social•56 days ago

Except that ruminant farming has been shown to be very effective at increasing carbon storage in the soil. Fewer cows? Maybe. No cows? You lose a major tool in carbon capture and storage as part of natural carbon cycles.

timeissliding.bsky.social•56 days ago

As for administering feed additives…? Plant foods can be produced much more efficiently & cheaply on drastically less land.

oxtale.bsky.social•56 days ago

? Where do feed additives come into the discussion? 🤔

timeissliding.bsky.social•56 days ago

read the thread

oxtale.bsky.social•56 days ago

Ah. As I wasn't responding to any point on feed additives but instead to your points on livestock, you lost me there.

timeissliding.bsky.social•56 days ago

Ruminant farming (sic) provides limited & easily reversed levels of carbon storage. It cannot be a major tool in carbon storage or feeding humanity. The area of land needed for low density grazing to sequester carbon at a level sufficient to offset ruminant GHG emissions would be enormous.

oxtale.bsky.social•56 days ago

Depends on how it's done. Most science agrees there is significant potential if measured, monitored and done right in the right places. Also an opportunity to reverse desertification. As for permanency, nothing is permanent if not preserved and maintained.

timeissliding.bsky.social•56 days ago

In a debate, guru Allan Savory failed to cite any science supporting your position

oxtale.bsky.social•56 days ago

So you base your views on the inability of one man to cite sources in a live debate with George Monbiot rather than searching for current literature on the subject...?

ourfuturefyi.bsky.social•57 days ago

It is the animal farming equivalent of fossil fuel 'Carbon capture & storage' - doesn't work, is expensive, but makes the polluters look like they are doing something, and they then expand their operations whilst claiming they will do more in the future with their wonderful 'technology'...

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