A new study shows that systems designed to capture methane from cow manure, called dairy digesters, are highly effective. But on the rare occasions they fail, the leaks are large enough to offset their climate benefits.
“I think manure emissions on dairies are underestimated. These digesters seem to be a solution that captures a lot of methane,” said Alyssa Valdez, a University of California, Riverside climate scientist and lead study author. “But I wanted to make sure they were working properly.”