‘Biggest lie in the world’: Northern Irish farmer explains how methane from cows has no net impact on climate

A video of Northern Irish dairy farmer Andrew Wright where he publicly challenges what he calls “the biggest lie in the world right now” — the claim that cows are destroying the planet through methane emissions has resurfaced on social media, as the climate debate continues.

In a detailed explanation of the carbon cycle, Wright walks viewers through how carbon flows through his dairy cows, beginning as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, captured by grass through photosynthesis, and ultimately returning to the air through various forms including methane.

He argues that the carbon emitted by his cows originates from the air and eventually returns to it, maintaining a closed loop.

While methane has a higher short-term “global warming potential” than carbon dioxide, he notes that it breaks down into CO₂ and water within 12 years. Therefore, in a farm with a stable number of animals, the methane emitted today is offset by the methane that has already decomposed from emissions a decade ago.

Despite this, methane is still counted as over 70% of his farm’s emissions in “climate accounting models”. He contends this misrepresentation misleads the public and unfairly blames livestock for so-called “global warming”, calling for a more accurate and science-based approach to agricultural emissions.

The biggest lie in the world right now is that cows are killing the planet. At the core of that lie is how methane is calculated.”

~ Farmer, Andrew Wright.

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— No Farmers, No Food (@NoFarmsNoFoods) May 31, 2025