A recent Farm Advisory Service (FAS) webinar looked at the relationship between methane and climate change.

Guest speaker, Dr Frank Mitloehner of the University of California, spoke about how agriculture should be seen as part of the solution to climate change rather than a part of the problem.  Dr Mitloehner discussed how the Californian dairy industry has reduced its emissions by 2.2 metric tonnes, 25% of all emissions in dairy, over the last 5 years, by simply improving manure and soil management practices.

The short lifespan of methane in the atmosphere means that a reduction in methane emission can reduce warming quite quickly, unlike carbon that persists in the atmosphere for longer.  Dr Mitloehner spoke about how this highlights the potential role livestock agriculture can play in reducing warming over a short period of time by making simple changes that can be done anywhere in the world.

The full webinar is available to watch at On the FAS Website using this link; for a reminder of the key climate change gases linked with agricultural production, see our Greenhouse Gas Emissions Practical Guide.