Researchers in Brazil are intensifying work on ways to curb cow belching, a significant source of the methane emissions that makes agriculture account for 76% of the country’s emissions of this potent greenhouse gas. A key focus of the research by both public- and private-sector scientists is the use of more nutritious feed and synthetic feed supplements to alter fermentation in cows’ stomachs so they burp less. The effort is just one of many Brazil must pursue to make good on a commitment it made with over 100 countries at last year’s United Nations climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, to cut methane emissions 30% below 2020 levels by 2030. But reducing cow belches, odd as it might sound, is surprisingly important. A cow can belch up to 264 pounds of methane gas per year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Cattle are the world’s leading source of... [Log in to read more]