June 17, 2022

Study finds that EU needs to reduce livestock to meet methane emission targets

A study by the CE Delft for the Changing Markets Foundation has found that the European Union will need to reduce the amount of livestock in the region to meet its methane emission targets, Bloomberg reported.

The study found that the bloc will find it "difficult" to keep its commitments under the Global Methane Pledge to reduce emissions of one of the most potent greenhouse gases by 30% by 2030. It is estimated that if the EU can persuade 10% of citizens to switch to diets that are lower in meat and dairy, a reduction of 34% could be achieved.

Agriculture-related emissions are largely taboo in Europe, with governments preferring to focus their efforts on reducing methane leaks from fossil fuel production or waste. Animal husbandry, particularly cattle ranching, accounts for roughly half of the industry's carbon footprint.

Nusa Urbancic, Campaigns Director at Changing Markets, said despite the fact that EU farm emissions are equivalent to the total emissions of 50 coal-fired power plants, policies that could deliver significant reductions by encouraging a shift to healthier diets with less meat and dairy are completely absent from EU plans.

The current "business as usual" scenario would see livestock emissions drop by less than 4% by 2030, but a shift to less meat-heavy diets would see a drop of 30% to 38%. Energy, on the other hand, accounts for around 13% of methane released in the EU, so sector-specific measures may be limited unless global action is taken.

Over 100 countries have signed the Global Methane Pledge, which was announced at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow last year. Last year, the EU unveiled a regulation to combat methane emissions that excluded agriculture, instead focusing on discharges from oil and gas production.

-      Bloomberg