The Land of Gassy Sheep

    The country of New Zealand has a pollution problem. But if you visit, you won’t notice it right away. 

    Instead, you’ll find a beautiful island nation in the Pacific Ocean. Snowy mountains rise high above the sea. Grassy hills roll across the land for miles.

    Now spend some time hiking the land. You’ll smell the problem. Almost 30 million sheep and 10 million cows roam those green hills—and each one of them is farting.

    That may sound like a dumb joke. But scientists aren’t laughing. Cows and sheep outnumber people eight to one in New Zealand. And these animals burp and fart more than 4 million tons of gas every year. 

    That gas adds to one of the most dangerous problems we face today: global warming.

    The country of New Zealand has a pollution problem. But if you visit, you won’t notice it at first. 

    Instead, you’ll find beautiful islands in the Pacific Ocean. Mountains rise high above the sea. Grassy hills roll across the land.

    Now spend some time hiking the land. You’ll soon smell the problem. Almost 30 million sheep and 10 million cows roam those green hills—and they’re all farting.

    That may sound like a dumb joke. But scientists are not laughing. In New Zealand, cows and sheep outnumber people eight to one. And they make about 4 million tons of gas a year.

    That gas adds to a dangerous problem: global warming.

    The country of New Zealand has a pollution problem—but if you visit, you won’t notice it right away. 

    Instead, you’ll find a beautiful island nation in the Pacific Ocean. Snowy mountains rise high above the sea, and grassy hills roll across the land for miles.

    Spend some time hiking the land, though, and you’ll smell the problem. Almost 30 million sheep and 10 million cows roam those green hills—and each one of them is farting.

    That may sound like a dumb joke, but scientists aren’t laughing. Cows and sheep outnumber people eight to one in New Zealand, and they burp and fart about 4 million tons of gas every year.

    That gas contributes to one of the most dangerous and serious problems we face today: global warming.

    The gas that farm animals produce is called methane. It’s known as a greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases collect in Earth’s atmosphere. They let the sun’s rays in and then trap heat near the planet. That heat is slowly warming Earth’s climate. This process is called climate change.

    Sheep and cows are not the main reason our climate is changing. Most greenhouse gases are produced when we burn coal, oil, or gas in factories and cars. 

    But in New Zealand, farm animals produce almost half the country’s greenhouse gases.

    The gas that farm animals make is called methane. It’s known as a greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases collect in Earth’s atmosphere. They let the sun’s rays in. Then they trap heat near the planet. 

    That heat is slowly warming Earth’s climate. This process is called climate change.

    Sheep and cows are not the main cause of climate change. Most greenhouse gases are produced when we burn coal, oil, or gas in factories and cars.

    But in New Zealand, things are different. Farm animals produce almost half the country’s greenhouse gases.

    Methane, the gas that farm animals produce, is known as a greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases collect in Earth’s atmosphere. They let the sun’s rays in and then trap heat near the planet. That heat is slowly warming Earth’s climate. This process is known as climate change.

    Sheep and cows aren’t the main reason our climate is changing. Most greenhouse gases are produced when we burn coal, oil, or gas in factories and cars.

    But in New Zealand, farm animals produce nearly 50 percent of the country’s greenhouse gases.

    That’s why scientists in New Zealand are working hard to solve the problem. They’ve found drugs that reduce gas in sheep and cows. But most farm animals in New Zealand roam free. It’s hard to round them up to give them medicine. 

    Farmers can also feed their sheep food that cuts down on the burping. But the food is expensive. Farmers don’t want to spend extra money on their gassy animals.

    There’s also a third plan that just might work. Some scientists have put sheep in special sealed cages. These “fart chambers” measure the gas that a sheep produces. 

    The scientists found that some sheep naturally make less gas than others. When they breed those sheep together, guess what they get? Baby sheep that burp and fart less than their cousins.

    It’s only a small improvement. But those baby sheep just might make the planet a better place to live.

    Scientists in New Zealand are working to solve the problem. They’ve found drugs that can cut down on gas in sheep. But most of the country’s farm animals roam free. It’s hard to round them up to give them medicine.

    There’s food that makes sheep less gassy too. But it’s expensive, and farmers don’t want to spend extra money.

    There’s a third idea. Scientists put sheep in special sealed cages. These “fart chambers” measure the gas a sheep produces.

    Some sheep naturally make less gas than others. Experts breed those sheep together. The lambs are less gassy than others.

    It’s just a small change. But who knows? Those lambs might make the planet a better place.

    That’s why scientists in New Zealand are working hard to solve the problem. They’ve identified medications that reduce gas in sheep and cows. But most farm animals in New Zealand roam free, so it’s challenging to round them up and give them medicine.

    Farmers can also feed their sheep food that cuts down on the burping. But the food is expensive, and farmers are reluctant to spend extra money on their gassy animals.

    There’s also a third plan that just might work. Scientists have put sheep in special sealed cages. These “fart chambers” measure the gas that a sheep produces.

    The scientists found that some sheep naturally make less gas than others. When they breed those sheep together, they get baby sheep that burp and fart less than their cousins.

    It’s only a small improvement—but those baby sheep just might make the planet a better place to live.