But what does that have to do with cows today? Just because we used to have other methane-emitting ruminants, we should maintain modern methane-emitting ruminants?
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I think it matters if we're claiming emissions gains that won't materialize. If the debate is about which herbivore people prefer, we should recognize that involves other values. Practically speaking, I think there's common ground between sides on the most important thing: no land conversion
sep 5, 2025, 12:45 pm • 0 0 • view
Also, yes, more directly to your question: in a lot of places we should maintain livestock (at least for now) for exactly that reason
sep 5, 2025, 12:51 pm • 0 0 • view
I don't understand your argument. I'm not talking about emissions gains. I'm talking about cutting emissions. There is no reason that historical methane emissions should be maintained - we have to cut emissions both historical and modern.
sep 5, 2025, 1:20 pm • 0 0 • view
Sorry "emissions gains" was confusing. I'm saying that if you cut methane emissions from animals you get a lot of emissions back via fire. Livestock are > bison -- but bison were a remnant. Actually the planet currently has the ~same animal methane component it's had for most of 300 million years.
sep 5, 2025, 1:41 pm • 0 0 • view
I'm not sure how you "cut" emissions from an Earth system that has been doing big animals and fire for a long time. If livestock disappeared, you'd get the benefit on converted lands, but native ecosystems...maybe some benefit? You'd still have either animals or fire.
sep 5, 2025, 1:41 pm • 0 0 • view
So your claim is that grazing by cows is actively preventing fires?
sep 5, 2025, 1:46 pm • 0 0 • view
Yes. Herbivores are in a direct interaction with fire worldwide. As an example, after the fall of the Soviet Union, grazing land abandonment in Kazakhstan led to grass build up and absolutely immense fires: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33085817/
sep 5, 2025, 2:00 pm • 1 0 • view
Rebound of wildebeest (methane-emitting ruminants) thanks to rinderpest vaccination turned Tanzania from net carbon source to net carbon sink due to reduction in fires animatingcarbon.earth/wildebeest-t...
sep 5, 2025, 2:00 pm • 0 0 • view
It does depend on the system. There are places where livestock has accelerated / changed fire cycles in other ways, but a lot of the time either something eats vegetation or it burns This is leaving aside forest fires, which probably are strongly shaped by loss of megafauna
sep 5, 2025, 2:00 pm • 0 0 • view
(Or the City of Boulder expanding cattle grazing to try to prevent more devastating wildfires:) bouldercolorado.gov/news/city-ex...
sep 5, 2025, 2:01 pm • 0 0 • view
Again, I really don't know the carbon balance in all of this, but I'm not sure anyone does. Grass fires do return some fraction to the soil via charcoal, but some is emissions. I just get suspicious about things that act like we can just zero out rangeland emissions.
sep 5, 2025, 2:05 pm • 0 0 • view
Thanks - I think I understand your case now. Appreciate the link.
sep 5, 2025, 2:06 pm • 1 0 • view