It turns out seaweed doesn't just make a tasty wrap for sushi rolls — Australian researchers found that feeding it to cows can slash methane pollution from the animals' burps by over 50%.
Methane is one of the most powerful heat-trapping gases on the planet. In fact, it's up to 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of its ability to warm the climate, per Stanford University.
Unfortunately, cows produce tons of methane from digesting high-fiber grasses, hays, and other plants. When that excess energy is belched out, it contributes to a lot of extra heat getting trapped in the atmosphere, as thicker layers of gases such as methane and carbon dioxide act almost like a transparent blanket or greenhouse lining around the planet.
That's why researchers worldwide have been investigating different ways to make cows' burps more environmentally friendly, and some, like the Australian researchers, have proven that red seaweed could be a game-changer.
As the Guardian reported, a 200-day trial at the Kerwee Feedlot near Brisbane, Australia — one of the longest commercial trials of the red seaweed additive so far — found feeding cows a supplement derived from Asparagopsis, a type of red seaweed, more than halved methane released from the cattle.
On day 29 of the trial, cows given the supplement produced 91% less methane — the largest reduction measured during the study.
There are 19,000 cows at the feedlot, and dozens of other feedlots are located within about a 200-mile radius of Kerwee. That means the red seaweed supplement could have a major impact on Australia's livestock sector as production is scaled up.
Finding solutions to make cows' burps more planet-friendly is important to hit our climate goals, especially since the number of cows could be vastly undercounted. A separate report by the Guardian cited a study that concluded Australia could have around 10 million unreported cattle — about 20% more than herd size estimates by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
"Then there's the obvious thing, there's 20% more methane out there than they thought," Geoffry Fordyce, a former University of Queensland veterinary scientist and the study's lead author, told the Guardian.
However, red seaweed could be the secret to make cows much less gassy, reducing methane and helping cool the planet in the process. While estimates vary, some studies show that feeding dairy and beef cattle red seaweed can reduce methane from cow burps by 67% and 98%, respectively, per the nonprofit MOST Policy Initiative.
These encouraging results have led the beloved ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's to pilot a program called Project Mootopia, which involves feeding red seaweed to dairy cows across 15 of its farms to halve its pollution. Red seaweed is even getting the federal government's attention, as it recently offered red algae feed additive brand Symbrosia more than $2 million in grants to expand its production.
In Australia, researchers said other methods would have to be used for grazing cattle, which account for the bulk of the industry's methane pollution.
Associate professor Fran Cowley, the leader of the University of New England's ruminant research group, told the Guardian that "a mix of interventions could yield a 15%-20% methane reduction in Australia's beef cattle herd by 2030."
Some emerging technologies that have methane-busting potential include lick blocks filled with methane inhibitors and drinking water infused with seaweed additives, per the Guardian.
Though these methods show promise in slowing planetary overheating and making the Earth a safer, cooler place for both humans and animals, one of the most impactful things we can do is to eat more veggies and less meat. Even going meatless one or two days per week can make a big difference.
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