This introductory video explains some of the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss and describes some easy changes/choices you could make as an individual, family, community, nation etc. from the bottom up.

Methane (CH4) is a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) with a global warming potential 25-28 times more than carbon, and dairy/beef production accounts for approximately 10% of global CH4 emissions (EU Commission 2015 – refer below).

In order to meet the 1.5oC goal of the Paris Agreement, this would have to be reduced by 24 to 47% by 2050, compared to the 2010 baseline (Mason-Delmotte et al. 2019, Arndt et al., 2022). Macroalgae supplementation has emerged as a promising tool to combat this GHG problem (Wasson D.E et al. 2022), however questions still remain around sustainability, animal productivity, animal product quality, and commercial practicality and may require additional research.

Asparagospis taxiformis is a species of macroalgae that is a highly invasive species, negatively impacting biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea, caused by ships ballast water discharge after they have passed through the Suez Canal from the Red Sea.

This particular species of macroalgae contains the highest content of bromoform, which is an active ingredient that has been proven to reduce CH4 emissions in ruminant animals by up to 80-90% (Donato Romanazzi D et al., 2021).

The project entails employing local fishermen and scuba diving operators, who have experienced loss of livelihood in the wake of CV-19 and with dwindling fish stocks in the Mediterranean, to harvest this invasive species (not produce commercially on land).

The product will then be processed and freeze dried for use as a feed supplement (0.2% dry feed) for dairy/beef production in Spain, and then monitored to produce empirical data that would be used to scale this solution to market, producing low methane dairy/beef.

This would result in a net-positive gain for both biodiversity and climate change, while providing alternative livelihoods for fishermen/scuba diving operators in Spain. Long term plans would be to expand this project to other Mediterranean countries such as Greece and Italy where a similar problem exists with invasive Asparagospis spp., improving base-level socio-economic conditions.