Аудирование TOEFL

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Narrator: Listen to part of a lecture in an environmental science class. Professor: Today we're going to talk about a surprising source of pollution: the humble cow. Cattle farming, especially for beef and dairy, has a significant environmental impact. When cows digest food, they produce methane, a greenhouse gas that is over 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. In fact, livestock accounts for about 14.5 percent of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. But there are solutions. Some farmers are experimenting with changing cattle diets. For example, adding seaweed to feed has been shown to reduce methane emissions by up to 80 percent. Other approaches include breeding cows that produce less methane, or using methane-capturing technology on large farms to convert the gas into energy. While these methods are promising, they face challenges. Seaweed is not always available in large quantities, and changing farming practices can be costly. Still, researchers emphasize that reducing methane from cattle is crucial if we want to meet global climate targets.