Am I the only person who thinks it's delusional to be talking about gene editing grass so farmed animals fart less methane? Are we really that desperate to avoid changing our diets and our economic dependence on exporting the products of mass animal exploitation?
The most obvious way to reduce our agricultural carbon emissions is exploiting fewer animals. But putting aside my vegan biases, instead of messing around with the genetic code of living things, how about using biological farming techniques? Techniques that grow the soil under paddocks, absorbing carbon, and ensuring a sustainable yield in the long term. Keeping farmed animals under less stressful conditions is likely to improve their digestion, resulting in lower carbon emissions per yield.