New Zealand on Wednesday unveiled a draft plan to include livestock emissions in a "carbon neutral" scheme and price them, Reuters reported on June 8. This means that every burp and every fart of every cow or sheep in New Zealand will be paid.
As a well-known agricultural country, New Zealand has a population of only 5 million, with nearly 10 million cattle and 26 million sheep. The harmful gases produced by these animals are the largest source of greenhouse gases in New Zealand.
Environmental groups have been critical of the New Zealand government for not making its due contribution to global warming, and the government has had to plan to require farmers to pay for the gases emitted by their livestock from 2025 onwards.
The proposal also proposes to incentivize farmers to use feed additives to reduce the number of times cattle and sheep burp or fart, or to offset emissions by planting trees in large quantities.
It is worth mentioning that New Zealand's move is not unprecedented. Carbon neutrality in livestock has long been a global research topic. The total carbon emissions of cattle around the world combined to hiccups and farts are reportedly close to those of the United States.
Plant-fed ruminants such as cattle and sheep emit mostly methane, which has a greenhouse effect more than 21 times that of carbon dioxide. Among livestock, dairy cows are the well-deserved king of methane emissions, emitting 500 liters of methane per day. Previously, in a ranch in Rasdorf, Germany, there were 90 cows burping and farting together, resulting in excessive methane concentration and causing the news of the explosion of the barn.
In the context of the increasing emphasis on "carbon neutrality", in order to preserve the appetite, the world has conducted various experiments on how to reduce carbon emissions from livestock.
For example, advocate eating more animals with relatively low carbon emissions, such as pigs and poultry, and even switch to artificial meat and drink plant milk. Adjust the diet structure of cattle and sheep, adding feed additives made of garlic and citric acid extracts to reduce the flatulence of livestock, thereby reducing the number of hiccups and farts. Masks and backpacks have been developed for cattle to wear to collect greenhouse gases.
Costa Rica's approach has been the most effective so far. The country has achieved a relatively high degree of livestock "carbon neutrality" by planting a large number of trees in the pasture to absorb greenhouse gases. According to Costa Rica's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, more than 20 million trees in the country's pastures absorb three times as many greenhouse gases as their country's total carbon emissions.
However, tree planting is an extremely time-consuming and land-consuming project, and whether it can be promoted on a large scale also has to put a big question mark. How to achieve "carbon neutrality" in animal husbandry in the future may play an important role in artificial meat. After all, it can bring huge economic benefits.