Livestock flatulence contributes a significant portion of greenhouse gas to the global annually total. “Fourteen percent of emissions from all sources in Australia is from enteric methane from cattle and sheep,” says Athol Klieve, a senior research scientist with the Queensland Government. He continued, “And if you look at another country such as New Zealand, which has got a much higher agricultural base, they’re actually up around 50 per cent.”

In contrast, kangaroo flatulence contains no methane, rendering it useless for fart-lighting enthusiasts but ideal for environmentalists. The reason for this is a special bacteria contained in the stomach of the marsupial. The bacteria also makes the digestive process more efficient, meaning that millions could be saved in feed costs for animals with it. “Not only would they not produce the methane, they would actually get something like 10 to 15 per cent more energy out of the feed they are eating,” said Klieve.

Before researchers can develop a way to transfer the bacteria to cattle and sheep, it will take them at least three years to isolate it. In the meantime, scientists suggest that Australians should simply farm less cattle and sheep and just eat kangaroo, an idea supported by Greenpeace. “It’s low in fat, it’s got high protein levels it’s very clean in the sense that basically it’s the ultimate free range animal,” said Peter Ampt of the University of New South Wales’s institute of environmental studies.

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