The Accelerator is the largest, globally coordinated public-good investment in breakthrough research tackling livestock methane emissions, the largest single contributor to global food system methane emissions. The Accelerator can fund areas that, to date, have received little support and are potentially crucial to delivering effective mitigation measures that are so urgently required.
The Accelerator aims to fund the development of a holistic and balanced portfolio of research and technologies to decrease the production of methane that will be attractive for farmers to adopt and viable within the diverse nature of livestock production systems globally. The volume of such research has increased in recent decades, but while some solutions exist, scaling their adoption globally has been slow.
The Accelerator was launched at COP28 in Dubai last year by the Global Methane Hub in partnership with the Bezos Earth Fund, Gerstner Philanthropies, High Tide Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Danone, and several other private and public partners.
About 40% of global methane emissions come from agriculture, with 70% of this stemming from methane produced during livestock digestion – so called enteric fermentation. Methane is incredibly potent – 86 times more than carbon dioxide – which means curbing pollution from all sectors, including agriculture, can help stave off catastrophic changes to the climate.
The research strategy is a product of the Accelerator’s Science Oversight Committee, a group of experts formed to provide rigorous and independent advice regarding the highest priority research areas to be addressed by the initiative. It outlines the current state of knowledge regarding mitigation of enteric methane, and elaborates the priority research questions which need to be addressed in order to accelerate progress towards the development of solutions relevant to the diversity of ruminant livestock systems found around the world.
A Science Oversight Committee (SOC) was formed to provide independent science advice to the Accelerator. The SOC was crucial in developing the Accelerator’s research strategy by identifying seven key research areas and the priority questions within each area with the most promise for delivering innovative technologies for enteric methane mitigation. With the SOC's guidance, the Accelerator is now focused on answering those priority research questions to fill current knowledge gaps.
Are you a researcher involved in livestock enteric methane emissions? We invite you to tell us about your research interests and capabilities.
