#methane
Even though methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas, it remains in the atmosphere for (only) about 10 years, making it a more approachable target in the short-term fight against climate change.
While CO2 does remain the more prevalent culprit, its effects are to be evaluated in the long-term. Because it lasts for hundreds of years once in the atmosphere consequences are to be expected in the second half of our century.
The research, supported by the National Geographic Society and published today in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, estimates that atmospheric warming from all of these sources combined now appears to swamp the forest’s natural cooling effect.
The effect can still be combated and reversed through the halting of deforestation as well as rebuilding the destroyed ecosystems.
It is a dark day for the climate.
https://www.ecowatch.com/new-zealand-livestock-methane-emissions.html
New Zealand Considers Charging Farmers for Livestock Emissions - EcoWatch
In New Zealand, sheep and cattle outnumber people. All that livestock passes gas, which means emitting more methane into the atmosphere. As such, the country has proposed to tax farmers for their livestock’s emissions.
New Zealand’s agriculture makes up almost half of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. According to the BBC, there are about 5 million people in New Zealand, but there are 10 million cattle and more than 26 million sheep. Although New Zealand has an emissions trading scheme in place to minimize climate change, the agriculture industry was not included.
“We need to urgently cut emissions across all sectors of the economy – and that includes agriculture,” Climate Change Minister James Shaw said in a statement. “There is no question that we need to cut the amount of methane we are putting into the atmosphere, and an effective emissions pricing system for agriculture will play a key part in how we achieve that.”
The proposal includes incentives for farmers to cut emissions. For example, they may add seaweed to livestock feed to help reduce the amount of methane the livestock produce. Farmers can also plant trees to help offset their emissions.
New Zealand currently has a goal to reduce methane emissions from agriculture by 24% to 27% by 2050 and is set to decide on the proposal in December 2022. In the meantime, the government and farmers have more details to hammer out if they plan to move forward with this scheme. The agriculture industry and the public will also have opportunities to share their views on the proposal.