Source link Today, renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Gates has thrown his support behind an ambitious Australian start-up which looks to reduce and capture methane produced by cows. Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, David Littleproud, announced today that the Gates Foundation has put its weight behind a start-up named Bio Conservation Revolution (BCR).
BCR works on the idea of capturing cow burps. Cows burp up huge amounts of methane and livestock belching is estimated to total 25 million tonnes of methane each year – contributing 15 percent of all methane emissions. BCR believes that it is possible to convert this methane into hydrogen to be used as a fuel source or fertilizer and have already released a prototype technology in Victoria, Australia.
The Gates Foundation has put its support and endorsement behind this project, which is a great show of confidence. Minister Littleproud said of the news: “He [Gates], in real terms, has just endorsed Australian agriculture and this technology….This is a futuristic technology and I really think it has lots of opportunities”.
The Australian government has made it a stated goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. In an attempt to meet this target, BCR will partner with Southern Australia’s leading agricultural research institutions to create new technologies that combat this problem. Reducing cow burps is estimated to result in a 75 percent cut in methane emissions from cows and has the potential to reduce Australia’s agricultural emissions by 28 percent.
Furthermore, with the addition of the Gates Foundation to the project, the new technology could see international success as its innovative approach to combating climate change gains further attention.
It’s fair to say that with the addition of the Gates Foundation to the Climate Change conversation, this project could be on track to become a global success.
