- Cows are ruminant animals, which means
they basically have different sections in their stomach
that can digest, so break down vegetation.
So in their stomachs, they actually have microbes
that are breaking down the vegetation.
And during that process,
these microbes actually release methane and CO2.
So when we talk about the climate impact of livestock,
it means that these animals are basically burping out
a bunch of methane and carbon dioxide,
which are contributing to the increase in greenhouse gases
in our atmosphere.