🚨NEW BLOG & THREAD🚨

People are shocked I work w/ livestock producers.

They’re outraged that agriculture companies collaborate to improve sustainability.

My thoughts on the @nytimes feature and more below 1/:

clear.ucdavis.edu/blog/full-disc… Coincidentally – or not – Greenpeace has a similar story. They end theirs with a quote saying the CLEAR Center is adopting the tactics of the tobacco industry.

I want to address this ridiculous accusation first. It’s a bunch of bull, and not the kind I’m used to. 2/

🚨NEW PAPER🚨

The U.S. dairy sector can be climate neutral by 2041. Our paper from @UCDavisCLEAR and @drsplace, describes one of many pathways the sector can take to reach neutrality.

You can read the paper in the @jdairyscience here 1/:
doi.org/10.3168/jds.20… In this paper, we use GWP* to calculate the U.S. dairy sector’s warming impact on our climate. Judging how a sector’s emissions impact temperature aligns with the Paris Climate Accord, as the agreement aims to keep temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius. 2/

🚨THREAD 🚨

Dairy Digesters can:
Reduce Methane✅
Generate revenue on farm✅
Help state, farms & companies reach climate goals✅

This @Reuters story highlights disagreements w/ digesters, but the fact is: THEY REDUCE METHANE & HENCE REDUCE WARMING. 1/

reut.rs/3fhuLxp Manure on California dairies is mostly stored in lagoons where the lack of oxygen leads to the formation of methane. But manure is more than waste. Take a look at this explainer from PhD student Alice Rocha on how manure is managed on dairies 2/ clear.ucdavis.edu/explainers/how…

THREAD 🧵

A recent @TheEconomist article has claimed that we should treat beef like coal to save the planet. We need to reduce emissions where we can, including livestock, but I have a few issues with their story.

Let’s debunk some claims, shall we?
1/
econ.st/3Dy3kto This article is clearly aimed at readers in the U.S. and the West, to reduce beef consumption. But it uses global emissions which don’t do a great job of characterizing the impact livestock in the U.S. has on climate change.
2/
bit.ly/ch4vsco2

THREAD

~0.35%. That’s the annual methane reduction needed for agriculture CH4 to be #ClimateNeutral. Reduce ~5% annually, we can neutralize all additional warming from ag CH4 since the '80s. WE CAN DO THIS!

More on @CGIARclimate & @nature_org paper ⬇️
bit.ly/3mDg6BC 1/ GWP* vs GWP100 better describes how #methane emissions impact the climate. Using GWP100 overestimates the warming impact of constant CH4 emissions by 3-4 times.

AND GWP100 misses climate benefits with decreasing emissions.

AND undersells warming when CH4 emissions rise.

2/

THREAD: The growing popularity of meat alternatives has not affected animal-sourced meat sales. Promoting plant-based alternatives as a recipe for #climatechange solutions is dangerously misleading and distracting.
theguardian.com/environment/20… 1/ While it may be true that meat alternatives are seeing a rise in sales, what the @guardian fails to provide is – and this is typical of the plant-based agenda – CONTEXT. Did you know that meat sales are actually at a record high? Up by 20%!
morningagclips.com/meat-purchases… 2/

NEW BLOG/THREAD: It’s clear the firehose of misinformation around livestock’s impact on climate is ramping up. When I see misleading headlines on perceived credible media, it disappoints. My new blog brings context that is often missing from this convo. clear.ucdavis.edu/blog/bogus-bur… 1/ This headline for an @latimes column is not only incorrect, but the context within this article lacks any weight to make a real argument supporting the statement. The author says most emissions from agriculture stems from animal ag – that’s inaccurate. latimes.com/business/story… 2/

THREAD:

Accounting correctly for methane’s short-lived nature isn’t greenwashing, it’s science. This great paper reinforces what we at @UCDavisCLEAR have been saying – agriculture methane warms differently than fossil CO2. 1/
LINK: doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.… We need to rethink methane from ag, because it doesn’t warm like fossil CO2. Methane persists in the air for 12 years before most is removed. CO2 lasts for 1000 years, building up and warming long after it’s emitted. Here's a deep dive into ag CH4: 2/ clear.ucdavis.edu/news/methane-h…

An interesting take by the @WSJ on balancing a healthy diet and a healthy planet. It’s becoming clear that animal-sourced foods can be part of a human-health solution. But it misses that animal protein can also be part of a healthy planet. 1/
wsj.com/articles/the-k… Animal-sourced foods can be a #climatechange solution. I invite @garytaubes to check out resources on the incredible strides the dairy and beef industry are making toward sustainability. The California dairy industry is on its way to climate neutrality: 2/
clear.ucdavis.edu/news/methane-c…

THREAD: Could eliminating meat from our diet be a simple solution to curbing our climate crisis? You may have heard the saying, ‘nothing good comes easy’. Well, yes. It’s not that simple – #climatechange has no easy solutions. My new blog explains. bit.ly/ghggurublog1204 1/ I want to start by stressing this: I have no beef with what you eat, whether that be a plant-based burger, one grown in a lab, or the old-fashioned kind from a cow – because that is your choice. 2/

NEW BLOG + THREAD: 'Reduce your carbon footprint' is a propaganda buzz phrase. Plain and simple. The idea of changing individual actions in hope of positively impacting the planet is part of a PR campaign by the fossil fuel industry. LINK: bit.ly/37ehbbu 1/ This @mashable article by @SkepticalRanger begins by describing a 1971 TV PSA some of you may remember. The ad shows a Native American man mourning Earth, which is now littered with trash and plastic pollution. It aims to touch on your emotions. 2/ in.mashable.com/science/15520/…

THREAD: This is what PR looks like. The @guardian cites a @Greenpeace analysis to support an outrageous (and simply incorrect) message. This piece is not based on accurate scientific facts instead, it has a clear-cut agenda with a message to spread. 1/ PR has no place in journalism but here we are – again. Greenpeace, by their own account, is a non-profit NGO rooted in activism. Activism has a necessary place in society, but when it comes to the issue of climate change, science and emissions expertise must prevail. 2/

This 2010 article by Raymond Pierrehumbert (@ClimateBook), the Halley Professorship of Physics at @UniofOxford is full of great info. In it he argues why we desperately need to focus on CO2 emissions. He sums it up nicely in the last paragraph:

realclimate.org/index.php/arch…

1/ There isn’t a single metric that perfectly captures the climate impacts of all greenhouse gases. Though it would be nice, our attempts to do so are misleading us and driving us to focus climate efforts on gases that will have an overall minimal effect on global temperatures.

2/

THREAD: I have BIG news! It's now evident that California dairies are on the path to climate neutrality. This is no longer just a concept. Once we start #rethinkingmethane, U.S. animal agriculture WILL become a leader in sustainability & climate mitigation. Let's unravel. 1/ We can now say, the amount of methane produced by CA dairy farms is less than it was in 2008. This means more methane is being broken down in the atmosphere than is being emitted, leading to less methane in the atmosphere & less warming. 2/

Using a global average for emissions often mischaracterizes U.S. cattle. Regularly cited @OurWorldInData calculates GLOBAL beef emissions at an average of approx 132 lbs CO2e/2.2 lbs beef – and that’s including all GHGs. But this number doesn't accurately portray the U.S. 1/ Important note: Our World in Data specifically looks at data around global issues such as climate change – hence the name. The publication’s data around emissions is not flawed rather, the way some interpret the data is incorrect. I’ll clarify what this data means for the U.S. 2/

THREAD: Does methane from cattle have the same warming impact as methane from fossil fuels? The answer is NO, but that’s the popular belief. Through science we will #rethinkmethane AND help curb the climate crisis. 1/ Biogenic & fossil methane originate from different sources. Biogenic methane starts as atmospheric CO2 before it’s been emitted by sources such as livestock. Fossil methane is geological carbon pulled from deep in the earth, where it’s been stored for millions of yrs. 2/

Hope you will be part of the #rethinkingmethane movement! Today, three short videos on the topic. This one on the “methane mistake” from New Zealand: Here a very well done methane mitigation video by @AgusBC3 and @PabloPastos #rethinkingmethane

THREAD: To throw blame on animal agriculture for the planet’s climate crisis, while essentially giving Big Oil a pass is RECKLESS. It not only ignores science, but distracts from real solutions. As you can imagine, I have a lot to say about this.

https://twitter.com/UN/status/1287102568598888448?s=20

1/ This stunt is part of a @UN campaign, no less. One that calls for individual action on climate change, but intentionally ignores the true impact of Big Oil (fossil fuels) on the climate. This type of careless rhetoric puts us at risk of leaving a warmer planet behind. 2/

THREAD: A change to a California law on food waste could have devastating impacts on the animal agriculture industry. Have you heard of AB 2959? If not, please read on. I want to unpack why we need to be vocal about this bill. 1/ Animal ag is often attacked by those who believe it's a major contributor to 🌎 warming. It’s not– but that's not going to be my focus today. Instead, I want to focus on how this bill would take away an opportunity for CA dairy farmers/beef producers to fight #climatechange. 2/

🗣️ PLEASE understand that this is a nuanced conversation. This @CNN article severely lacks context & unfortunately, other media outlets made the same mistakes. FYI, the coverage stems from two papers published earlier this week. cnn.com/2020/07/15/wor… 1/ First, the equating of methane from fossil fuels & methane from animal agriculture needs to STOP. Biogenic methane (i.e. from Ag) warms the atmosphere differently. @UCDavisCLEAR recently posted an in-depth thread explaining the difference:

https://twitter.com/UCDavisCLEAR/status/1281021504524660739?s=20

2/

There’s a lot to *digest* in @BurgerKing’s new marketing video. We also produced a video on methane – one that’s rooted in science. It may not feature the yodeling kid, but it does explain why it’s time to rethink methane.
Please RT to spread the word! 1/
In case you haven’t seen it, here’s the Burger King video: #CowsMenu 2/