AdaptationandMitigationof Animal Agricultureto Climate Change

Globally agriculture contributes around 24% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and a large proportion of these emissions is methane stemming from enteric fermentation in ruminants. Climate change is no longer a distant threat; it appears to be happening right now and is evident by an increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events. Agricultural practices will have to change as animals must be sheltered from these events. Adaptation might be as simple as the provision of shade, but may also mean that ruminants have to adapt to different diets driven by invading species that are more suited to the changed climatic conditions. However, while adaptation will need to happen, the scientifically more challenging task will be to mitigate the effects that ruminants have on the climate. Generally, these approaches can be divided into two main areas. One is to identify nature’s solutions to lower methane emissions by screening for low methane ruminants and low methane feeds. The other is to decrease the abundance of methane producing organisms or divert their substrates into other products. Improved efficiency can be achieved by better feeding or improving animal health and fertility. Efficiency gains can lead to an overall decrease in emissions, but can also lead to an increase if the current animal numbers are maintained or increased because of improved farm practices. Adaptation to climate change is unavoidable, but there needs to be a careful balance of mitigation strategies and efficiency gains to reduce the burden of agriculture on climate change.