In the ongoing effort to curb climate change, scientists are taking aim at a surprisingly potent source of the greenhouse gases that are warming our planet, cows.

As part of our tipping point series, science correspondent Miles O'Brien traveled from California to Mexico and even to Australia to explore a bold idea that could make a big impact.

It's O Dark 30 at the Strauss Dairy Farm in Marin County, California. The cows stand patiently in line,

ready for the morning milking. At the helm is Albert Strauss.

I want to make a farming system

a positive impact on the environment at the same time

producing high quality organic food.

So methane is never far from his mind.

It's an especially potent greenhouse gas. Over 20 years, it traps about

80 times more heat than carbon dioxide. Dairy cows and beef cattle emit a significant amount of it.

It mostly comes from their burps, not flatulence. In fact, methane emissions from livestock exceed the oil and gas industry.

It's a stubborn problem. And for Albert, it threatens to derail his goal of achieving carbon

neutrality by 2030. Cows have an essential role in reversing climate change.

That's why in 2021, he jumped at the chance to become the first commercial dairy in the U.S. to test a novel methane mitigation solution, seaweed in the feed.

He enrolled two dozen cows in a two-month trial.

The things that we were testing for didn't have any effects on animal health or human health.

There was no off flavors or effects on the quality of the milk or the quantity of the milk.

The additive comes from a red seaweed called asparagopsis taxiformis.

It was less than a half a percent of the cow's diet, but the results were dramatic. The average of 52 percent reduction, with some

cows over 80 percent and one cow over 90 percent. University of California Davis animal scientist

Ermius Cabrebe,

consulted on the study.

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