Rising temperatures and changes in precipitation caused by climate change have pushed the region into a new era of megafires-fires that burn 100,000 acres or more. ![]() In fact, the 12 largest fires on record in the region have all burned in the last two decades, and more acres of rangeland burn annually than forest in the U.S. Wildfires in the Great Basin are bigger and badder than ever. Check It Out: Targeted Cattle Grazing for Wildfire Fuel Breaks in the Great BasinĬattle grazing at sunset on public rangeland in Malheur County, Oregon, with the east side of Steens Mountain visible in the distance. This entry was posted in Greenhouse Gas Emissions on Jby sonia.hall. Proposed solutions for reducing enteric emissions from ruminants range from dietary changes to altering the rumen microbiota through vaccines, though each of these possible solutions is still in development. It has thus been a priority for policymakers, researchers, and agriculturalists in the effort to mitigate climate change impacts. Reducing methane emissions, whether from enteric digestion or other sources, provides a significant reduction in warming over a more immediate timeframe than carbon dioxide. While methane’s longevity is significantly shorter than carbon dioxide, methane is about 20-30 times more potent of a greenhouse gas in terms of warming potential (IPCC 2007). Methane persists in the atmosphere for roughly 12 years while carbon dioxide warms for centuries. The relative potency of greenhouse gases is assessed through both their warming potential and with their longevity in the atmosphere. Methane from ruminant digestion is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture- we’ve all heard the concern over cow burps, otherwise known as enteric emissions. Okay, okay- while baby kangaroos singlehandedly solving climate change is out of the question, the potential for baby kangaroo droppings to help decrease methane emissions is an exciting prospect! Photo: Mark Galer under Adobe Education License. Cultures from baby kangaroo dropping show promise in reducing methane emissions by adjusting ruminant metabolic pathways.
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