As Canada doubles down on efforts to cut back dangerous methane emissions, consultants say one of many trickiest hurdles standing in the best way is the burping cow.
Methane — a transparent, odourless gasoline — accounts for simply 13 per cent of Canada’s whole greenhouse gasoline emissions, however as a result of it’s higher than carbon dioxide at trapping warmth it’s believed to be chargeable for no less than one-third of world warming recorded thus far.
That makes it a excessive precedence for governments searching for to dwell as much as their local weather change commitments.
Earlier this month, Canada confirmed its support for the Global Methane Pledge, which goals to cut back international emissions by 30 per cent under 2020 ranges by 2030.
The initiative, led by the U.S. and Europe, will probably be launched on the UN local weather summit in Scotland in November.
In Canada, 43 per cent of the nation’s whole methane emissions come from the oil and gasoline business, and the federal authorities has already put laws in place to cut back methane emissions from the oil and gasoline business by 40 to 45 per cent over 2012 ranges by 2025.
Final week, Canada mentioned its new purpose will probably be to align with the Worldwide Power Company’s suggestion that methane from the oil and gasoline business should be minimize 75 per cent from 2012 ranges by the top of this decade.
However in terms of agriculture, there are not any laws, and even federal targets, in place. That is despite the truth that the business is chargeable for 24 per cent of Canada’s whole methane emissions.
Methane is a pure byproduct of cattle digestion, that means it’s emitted into the ambiance each time a beef or dairy cow burps or passes gasoline.
And in contrast to in oil and gasoline — the place current leak detection and restore expertise can go a great distance towards decreasing methane emissions — there isn’t any apparent answer for the issue but.
“I feel the biology’s a bit extra difficult on the agricultural facet than it’s on the oil and gasoline facet,” mentioned Tim McAllister, a Lethbridge, Alta.-based analysis scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Meals Canada.
“Numerous the oil and gasoline points I feel might be dealt with by engineering options.”
That doesn’t imply scientists aren’t making an attempt. Across the globe, analysis is being executed on every part from optimization of cattle diets to the addition of feed components — every part from nitrates to seaweed — in an effort to cut back methane emissions.
Scientists are additionally trying into the opportunity of a vaccine that would goal the methane-producing microbes in a cow’s intestine. Some researchers are even experimenting with placing mask-like equipment over a cow’s mouth to lure methane burps.
Between 1981 and 2011, the meat business was in a position to scale back its whole greenhouse gasoline emissions depth by 15 per cent, mentioned Brenna Grant, supervisor of Canfax Analysis Providers, the analysis arm of business group The Canadian Cattlemen’s Affiliation.
These enhancements have been largely because of enhancements in feed high quality and effectivity.
Grant mentioned final 12 months, the meat business set its personal goal of decreasing main manufacturing greenhouse gasoline emissions depth by 33 per cent over the subsequent 10 years — a purpose she acknowledged is bold.
“Let’s simply say it’s going to be a stretch. And the factor is, we needed to make it a stretch,” she mentioned. “We needed it to be one thing we’d actually should attempt and work on.”
Specialists say even when a expertise is sensible scientifically, it additionally has to make financial sense. No farmer goes to pay for a methane-reducing feed additive until it someway additionally improves his or her backside line.
Guillaume Lhermie, director of the Simpson Centre for Agricultural Coverage and Public Training on the College of Calgary, mentioned to this point, farmers have remained comparatively unaffected by Canada’s present local weather insurance policies. Using on-farm fuels, for instance, stays exempt from federal carbon pricing.
However Lhermie mentioned the meat business ought to anticipate to return below growing regulatory and governmental stress in years to return.
He added that in an effort to keep away from onerous emissions-related laws and keep higher freedom in manufacturing choices, the sector must proactively sort out the difficulty.
“It’s nearly sure that there will probably be growing stress to cut back emissions from the agricultural sector,” he mentioned. “It may imply large disruption for the sector.”
© 2021 The Canadian Press
