Today I read an article on efforts by scientists in Australia to neutralize cow -produced-methane by transferring kangaroo bacteria to cattle and sheep’s guts. Kangaroo flatulence is methane-free due to a special type of bacteria. Given that livestock-emitted-methane accounts for 14% of emissions in Australia and nearly 50% in New Zealand, it seems like a worthwhile project in saving the world from livestock flatulence. However, it would take 3 years or so just to isolate the beneficial bacteria. Some scientists even suggested kangaroo meat as a healthier and eco-friendly substitute for beef and the meat of other ruminant mammals in human diet. This would consequently reduce human dependency on cows and other livestock and would thus reduce the green house effect due to livestock. It would be interesting I think to know the contribution of human-flatulence-induced methane to the atmosphere in comparison to that of industrially emitted gasses.
Would it be too outrageous to expect that there would be resultant ordinances requiring people and livestock to undergo emission inspection in addition to that already required for motor vehicles in some countries? I don’t even want to think on what kind of equipment is going to be used for this.