The Beef with Climate Change

Cows get a bad rap.

Whenever climate conversations turn to livestock, the focus almost always centers on emissions. 

Methane this. Land use that. 

But livestock isn’t the villain of the climate story. It’s a cornerstone of the global food system, supporting 1.3 billion people and nourishing billions more. 

It’s also the biggest single use of land on the planet. Which means if we want to make real progress on climate and nature, this is where we can make some of the biggest gains.

The world’s appetite for meat and milk is still growing. Meeting that demand the wrong way would make climate change worse. Meeting it the right way could turn livestock into one of our most powerful agents of positive change for climate and nature.

That’s why the Bezos Earth Fund is backing science and innovation that make cattle an efficient part of the climate solution.

So far, we’ve committed more than $100 million to this effort – investing in work that makes cattle more productive and less polluting. Not one silver bullet, but a set of practical tools that work on real farms, from Kansas to Kenya.

The problem isn’t the cow. It’s how we manage it.

Livestock systems are incredibly diverse. 

At one end, you’ve got highly productive dairy and beef systems that are fine-tuned for efficiency. At the other, you’ve got open-range herds grazing vast pastures across the globe where productivity is low. 

And here’s the interesting part: those low-productivity systems also tend to have the highest methane emissions per pound of meat or gallon of milk.

So the very places that struggle most to raise productivity are also where the biggest climate gains can be made.

That’s where our work comes in – supporting a range of innovations that make livestock more productive and less polluting. Some are biological breakthroughs. We’ve joined forces with the Global Methane Hub to launch the world’s first global methane genetics initiative, which identifies cattle that naturally produce less methane and allows us to select for those traits. Over time, it could change the makeup of the global herd.

Reducing methane isn’t just good for the planet; it’s good business. Methane represents lost energy. When a cow emits less of it, more energy goes into growth and milk. In other words, cutting emissions often boosts productivity.

We’re also supporting research in the UK, Spain, and New Zealand to test the viability of a methane vaccine that trains a cow’s immune system to reduce methane-producing microbes in its stomach. If it works, it could be a game-changer for pasture-based herds everywhere.

Another path works through what cattle eat. We’re funding research into tropical forages, the grasses and shrubs cattle graze on, that cut methane during digestion while strengthening the soil beneath. Deeper roots store more carbon, build resilience against drought, and feed healthier cattle above.

And then there’s the digital side. In Brazil’s Pará State, we’re supporting what could become the world’s largest deforestation-free cattle traceability system. Every animal will be tracked from birth to market to make sure beef and leather don’t come from illegally cleared land. It’s helping turn ranchers into stewards not just of animals, but of the land itself.

I’ve met some of those ranchers. They’re proud of their cattle, but also of their land. They want to pass it on in better shape than they found it. And when they see that sustainable practices open new markets and build resilience against climate shocks, they’re all in.

Virtual fencing is another innovation gaining traction. Instead of miles of barbed wire, GPS-enabled collars guide animals to graze in rotation. That means better-managed pastures, healthier soils, and more carbon kept underground.

Put all of this together and you get a vision that’s pro-rancher, pro-productivity, and pro-nature and climate. 

This is what the future of food can look like. We can keep producing beef and dairy, but do it in ways that restore the environment instead of depleting it. Better breeding, better feed, better land management.

Tackle methane and we get a quick win for climate, since cutting this short-lived gas can deliver fast climate benefits. Manage land better and we free up space for regeneration and forest recovery. In the process, ranchers can profit from improved efficiency and new market opportunities.

And it fits squarely within what I call the “yes, and” food system. 

Yes, we need meat and dairy, and we need plant- and cell-based proteins too – and over time, we’ll need to rebalance how much of each we produce and consume.

Yes, we need smallholders grazing cattle in Africa and large-scale producers using precision tools in the Americas. 

We need it all, working together, to feed a growing world without wrecking the planet.

The future of food isn’t about choosing sides. It’s about scaling all of the solutions that work. Livestock can be part of that solution – and when managed right, it’s a powerful tool.

So yes, cows get a bad rap. But with ranchers at the reins and science in the saddle, livestock shifts from climate liability to climate ally.