While the world focuses on tackling carbon dioxide, methane is in some ways more harmful, with up to 86 times more warming potential than CO2 over a 20-year period. Windfall Bio is trying to remedy that “myopic” focus, says CEO Josh Silverman. Customers—mostly farmers—buy Windfall Bio’s naturally occurring methane-eating microbes, and spread them over soil. The microbes get to work, eating up the methane produced during the decomposition of organic matter in the same way yeast consumes sugar, while also capturing nitrogen from the air, producing organic fertilizer. “This is something we can actually do today,” Silverman says, “and we can make changes to climate in the next decade.”
More Must-Reads from TIME
- How Donald Trump Won
- The Best Inventions of 2024
- Why Sleep Is the Key to Living Longer
- Robert Zemeckis Just Wants to Move You
- How to Break 8 Toxic Communication Habits
- Nicola Coughlan Bet on Herself—And Won
- Why Vinegar Is So Good for You
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Contact us at letters@time.com