Continuing on its promise to keep climate change and environmental issues at its forefront, the Biden administration recently announced a joint initiative with the European Union (EU) to reduce global methane emissions. The initiative, the Global Methane Pledge, will be launched at the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in November.
Countries joining the initiative are committing to reducing global methane emissions by at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030. The initiative cited information from the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which stated methane accounts for half of the 1 degree Celsius net rise in global average temperature since the pre-industrial era.
“Rapidly reducing methane emissions is complementary to action on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHG), and is regarded as the single most effective strategy to reduce global warming in the near term and keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 C within reach,” the White House said in a statement.
By delivering on the initiative, warming would be reduced by at least 0.2 C by 2050, the White House added. Major sources of methane emissions include oil and gas, coal, agriculture and landfills, according to the release.
The White House also cited data from the Global Methane Assessment from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and the UN Environmental Programme, which said achieving the 2030 goal can “prevent over 200,000 premature deaths, hundreds of thousands of asthma-related emergency room visits, and over 20 million tons of crop losses a year by 2030 by reducing ground-level ozone pollution caused in part by methane.”
In addition to joining the Global Methane Pledge, the Biden administration has taken a number of other steps to curtail methane emissions. These include USDA working with farmers and ranchers to support adoption of voluntary agriculture practices by “incentivizing the deployment of improved manure management systems, anaerobic digesters, new livestock feeds, composting and other practices.”
The White House also said Congress is considering supplemental funding to support some of these efforts.
The U.S. and EU have already been joined by seven other countries in the Global Methane Pledge. Other countries include Argentina, Ghana, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Together, six of the countries are in the top 15 methane emitters around the globe and account for one-fifth of global methane emissions, according to the White House. The countries plan to enlist additional countries at the COP 26 in November.
Industry support
In response to the announcement, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) said in order to achieve the emissions goal, the Biden administration will need the “voluntary participation, scientific research and practical knowledge of U.S. cattle producers.”
NCBA also called attention to its recent goal to have the cattle industry demonstrate climate neutrality by 2040.
“We are proud of the U.S. cattle industry’s track record of continual innovation to improve environmental outcomes, and we are committed to writing the next chapter in that history of stewardship with the voluntary, industry-led goal of demonstrating climate neutrality by 2040,” said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane.
NCBA also mentioned the default method for calculating GHG emissions, GWP100, has come under criticism for failing to accurately account for short-lived emissions such as methane. GWP*, a method that more accurately measures methane’s actual impact, is gaining more support.
“As the GWP* methodology is adopted around the globe, NCBA supports the U.S.’ adaptation of its policy to reflect the best available science,” the association said. NCBA also noted the administration has not announced any policies or directives to restrict beef consumption in the U.S.
Other emissions reports
Two scientific reports have come out recently that focus on GHG emissions, one with a positive message for cattle, and the other with a negative connotation.
A September issue of the scientific journal Current Biology includes a study over “potty training” cattle to reduce GHG emissions. The study notes that attempts to do so have been only “partly successful,” but it is possible.
The study included 16 dairy calves that underwent potty training in a three-step process to teach the calves how to enter a gated “latrine.” Calves were rewarded when they urinated in the latrine and then encouraged to exit. Cameras recorded the behavior of the calves in each aspect of the training.
“We have shown that a majority of cattle can be trained to deposit most of their urine in a defined location, enabling the development of more effective methods to collect, treat and dispose of pure urine than is currently possible with technical solutions alone,” the study read.
The study said capturing about 80 percent of cattle urine in latrines could lead to a 56 percent reduction in ammonia emissions. “Hence, clever cattle can help in resolving the climate killer conundrum,” the report concluded.
The other report was not quite as favorable to cattle or other animals. A September issue of the journal Nature Food included an article over animal-based products having twice the GHG emissions of plant-based foods.
The study included livestock food in its definition of animal-based food. It attributed global GHG emissions from the production of food as the following: 57 percent from animal-based food, 29 percent to plant-based food and 14 percent to other utilizations. The report claimed beef was the largest animal-based commodity at 25 percent.
“Our framework can address many important issues related to developing mitigation strategies for food-related GHG emissions,” the report concluded. — Anna Miller,WLJ managing editor
