Like most ruminants, cows burp and fart a lot, the result of digesting the tough, fibrous plants they eat. Especially the burping results in high methane emissions, a bi-product of one of nature’s most ingenious mechanisms; the ruminants’ step-by-step system of multi-stomach compartments that converts grass and other plants – inedible to us – to the nutritious, tasty mixes of proteins and fat that end up on our tables.
Biodiversity loss, largely caused by the food system, is one of the gravest risks to human and planetary well-being. Combining ecosystem conservation with measures to improve food security is crucial. Now under threat, the world’s oceans – essential to our survival and food sourcing – are no exception.
Global warming and climate change have already decreased fisheries’ yields, acutely impacting the tropics, where they will also menace agriculture. Rising sea levels destroy fertile coastal lands and reduce available groundwater for drinking. In many regions, harsher droughts are exacerbating hunger and driving farmers to resort to fishing.