Billionaires Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos have plunged millions into a controversial initiative to develop “climate vaccines” for livestock, aiming to curb methane emissions from cattle in a quest to battle so-called climate change.
This is another example of wealthy elites attempting to control the food supply and impose their radical environmentalist agendas on farmers and ranchers.
ArkeaBio, a Boston-based biotech firm, recently raised $26.5 million in venture capital funding to advance its methane-reducing cattle vaccine.
Leading the charge is Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a climate-focused fund established by Gates, Axios reported.
Other contributors to the funding round include environmental organizations like the Grantham Foundation and AgriZeroNZ, signaling a concerted push by left-leaning institutions to meddle in agriculture.
Chris Rivest, ArkeaBio’s board chairman, touted the initiative as a “game-changer” in cutting emissions, calling it a natural extension of existing cattle vaccination programs, according to Climate Solutions.
Not to be outdone, Jeff Bezos’s Earth Fund has invested $9.4 million into a similar initiative, partnering with researchers from the Royal Veterinary College and the Pirbright Institute.
Their goal? To slash methane emissions by over 30% using cutting-edge biotechnology, including genetically modified bacteria and advanced antibody research.
“This groundbreaking research explores whether a moonshot to cut livestock methane emissions is achievable,” says Dr. Andrew Steer, President and CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund.
“Vaccines have proven to be incredibly effective in global health, and if we can apply this approach to cattle, the potential for reducing emissions is immense. The Bezos Earth Fund is committed to high-risk, high-reward projects like this, which have the power to transform our efforts against climate change.”
Read the press release:
Livestock are a primary source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas with a significant impact on climate change.
The Bezos Earth Fund, together with the Global Methane Hub, have a portfolio of grants looking to reduce these emissions through low-methane genetics, improved feed, and better ranch management practices. All of these approaches can play a role in specific geographies and ranch-types.
However, a vaccine offers a universal solution which is both scalable and cost effective, integrating seamlessly into existing farm management systems.
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The project comprises two key components, each tackling different aspects of the challenge:
- Early Development of Immune Response: Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College, in collaboration with Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), will study how and when methane-producing microbes (methanogens) colonize the digestive tract of calves and how the immune system responds. Advanced techniques such as multi-omics, histology, and immunology will be used to gain insights into these early interactions. They will also develop methanogens with fluorescent markers to track microbial interactions.
- Antibody Response and Vaccine Development: Scientists from the Pirbright Institute and AgResearch will identify and characterize specific antibodies needed to target methanogens effectively. This involves isolating antibodies from immunized cattle and testing their effectiveness in lab conditions. By driving cross-reactive antibody responses and generating panels of antibodies, researchers aim to establish a proof of concept for a methane vaccine.
The project aims to overcome significant scientific hurdles, providing a foundation for a global methane vaccine initiative. If successful, this could revolutionize the way methane emissions are managed in agriculture, offering a viable solution to one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases.
This is part of a broader trend of elites using climate change as a pretext to reshape global food production.
In 2021, Gates made headlines for becoming the largest private owner of farmland in the United States, sparking concerns about consolidation of agricultural power.
Now, with Gates and Bezos funding livestock vaccine research, those fears are intensifying.
