Interview
Good moos: cows could help the climate
- Spain is projected to be the best-performing economy in the rich world in 2024, with current trajectory suggesting a counter-narrative to the notion of European stagnation, provided the government manages its fragile coalition status.
- The influx of workers and tourists into Spain is expected to increase pressure on the housing market, driving up costs and shifting the sector toward a business-dominated model.
- Global consumption of beef and milk is anticipated to grow due to population increases and rising incomes driving demand for protein-rich diets.
- Agricultural productivity gains in Africa are forecasted to alleviate poverty, reduce child hunger, and lower greenhouse gas emissions, though direct transfer of American breeding stock faces high risks of failure from heat and disease without modification.
- Improving genetic data to select for heat resistance and local disease immunity is predicted to enable the adoption of high-productivity techniques in developing nations, moving away from nomadic farming toward stationary systems.
- Shifting from nomadic to stationary farming is expected to enhance family welfare and contribute to regional peace by reducing conflicts over resources, despite significant cultural disruption.
- Proper nutrition and herd management are identified as key factors with high potential for increasing livestock numbers and capturing methane through anaerobic digesters on smaller scales.
- Despite structural and political challenges, European economies are predicted to possess the capacity to adapt and adjust to emerging pressures.