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New Zealand has unveiled a plan to tax sheep and cattle burps in a bid to tackle one of the country\u2019s biggest sources of greenhouse gases.<\/p>\n
It would make it the first nation to charge farmers for the methane emissions from the animals they keep.<\/p>\n
New Zealand is home to just over five million people, along with around 10 million cattle and 26 million sheep.<\/p>\n
Almost half the country\u2019s total greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, mainly methane.<\/p>\n
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However, agricultural emissions have previously not been included in New Zealand\u2019s emissions trading scheme, which has been criticised by those calling for the government to do more to stop global warming.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere 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,\u201d New Zealand\u2019s climate change minister James Shaw said.<\/p>\n
Under the proposal farmers will have to pay for their gas emissions from 2025.<\/p>\n
The plan also includes incentives for farmers who reduce emissions through feed additives, while planting trees on farms could be used to offset emissions.<\/p>\n
Andrew Hoggard \u2013 who is a dairy farmer and the national president of Federated Farmers of New Zealand \u2013 told the BBC that he broadly approved of the proposals.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been working with the government and other organisations on this for years to get an approach that won\u2019t shut down farming in New Zealand, so we\u2019ve signed off on a lot of stuff we\u2019re happy with.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you know, like all of these types of agreements with many parties involved, there\u2019s always going to be a couple of dead rats you have to swallow,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Mr Hoggard also highlighted that the fine details of the plan\u2019s rollout have not yet been agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are still the nuts and bolts to be hammered out, like who actually implements the scheme, so there\u2019s still stuff to work through with the government.\u201d<\/p>\n
The money raised from the scheme will be invested in research, development and advisory services for farmers, the country\u2019s environment ministry said.<\/p>\n
Last month, New Zealand\u2019s finance minister committed NZ$2.9bn (\u00a31.5bn; $1.9bn) for initiatives to tackle climate change, which would be funded by an emissions trading system that taxed polluters.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile on Thursday, investors managing $14tn of assets urged the United Nations to create a global plan to make the agriculture sector sustainable.<\/p>\n
In a letter to the UN\u2019s Food and Agriculture Organisation\u2019s director-general\u00a0\u2013 which was first reported by the Reuters news agency \u2013 the FAIRR Initiative said the agency was best-placed to take the lead on creating a road-map to curb one of the biggest sources of climate damaging emissions.<\/p>\n
Methane is the second most common greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide (CO2).<\/p>\n
It is one of the most potent and responsible for a third of current warming from human activities. Individual methane molecules have a more powerful warming effect on the atmosphere than single CO2 molecules.<\/p>\n
At last year\u2019s COP26 environmental conference in Glasgow the\u00a0US and the EU agreed to cut emissions\u00a0of the gas by 30% by 2030. More than 100 countries, including New Zealand, have also signed up to the initiative.<\/p>\n
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