Bill Gates Invests In Start-Up That Aims To Stop Cow Burps To Tackle Climate Change

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has invested in an Australia based start-up with an aim to reduce methane emission of cow burps, according to a report in the BBC. The climate technology company, Rumin8, actively works to design solutions to decrease methane emissions in agriculture.

According to the outlet, animals like cows, goats and deers produce the greenhouse gas when their stomachs break down hard fibres for digestion. These fibres mostly include grass. It is also to be noted that methane is the most common greenhouse gas and is 80 times more potent at warming than carbon dioxide, as per United Nations Environment Program. 

The funding was led by Bill Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures with participation from Andrew and Nicola Forrest's agri-food business Harvest Road Group, according to a release by the company. They have raised $12 million (Rs 98 crore) which will be used towards "commercial trials in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and the USA, product brand development and pilot manufacturing plant development" as the company heads towards commercialization of methane busting feed additives.

As per the BBC, the investment company is also backed by Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos and Alibaba Co-founder Jack Ma. 

Carmichael Roberts, Business Lead, Investment Committee, at Breakthrough Energy Ventures said in a press release, "The demand for sustainable protein has never been more apparent, which is why BEV is keenly interested in reducing methane emissions from beef and dairy." He further added, "Rumin8 offers a low cost, scalable toolbox that has already proven to be effective in reducing emissions. Our team will support Rumin8 in working closely with farmers to expand the reach of this solution globally."

"We have been very pleased with the reception we have received from climate impact funds around the world," Rumin8's Managing Director David Messina said. "There is a genuine desire to fund solutions to enteric methane emissions from livestock and fortunately for Rumin8, they can see the benefits of our technology," he continued.

Bill Gates has been actively voicing his concerns about climate change and said in a blog in December 2022 that warming temperatures have started taking a toll on society and action should be taken to protect the future generation.

He wrote, "I can sum up the solution to climate change in two sentences: We need to eliminate global emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. Extreme weather is already causing more suffering, and if we don't get to net-zero emissions, our grandchildren will grow up in a world that is dramatically worse off."