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Beef industry removes methane and climate lesson after rancher protests
A beef industry-funded education group removed a school lesson about cattle methane and climate change after ranchers objected to its message. The decision matters because the group’s free science curriculum reaches about 1.2 million pupils across more than 100 US school districts, giving the industry influence over how students learn about cattle and global heating.
The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture said it is reviewing research for a longer lesson, but a July lesson on cattle digestion does not mention methane or climate. The withdrawn lesson misstated livestock’s share of human-caused methane emissions as about 2%, when climate scientist Drew Shindell says it is a little over 30%. Researchers say methane from living sources contributes to warming despite its relatively short atmospheric life; one scientist estimates ongoing biogenic methane emissions account for about 0.3°C of warming to date.
In short
- Rancher backlash led to a cattle methane lesson being withdrawn.
- The curriculum reaches about 1.2 million US pupils.
- Livestock produces a little over 30% of human-caused methane emissions.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by The Guardian as “Beef industry quietly squashes part of its own science curriculum after ranchers protest”.