“New Zealand has the world’s highest methane emissions per person, largely thanks to those six million dairy cows. The Commission’s goal of a 16% reduction in methane is not only insufficient, it’s unlikely to succeed because it relies on voluntary measures and future techno-fixes, like the fabled methane vaccine,” says Larsson.
Synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and cow urine emit nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas.
“Intensive dairying is to New Zealand what coal is to Australia and tar sands are to Canada. If this Government is serious about tackling the climate crisis, it must do what we already know will cut climate pollution from intensive dairying: phase out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, substantially reduce stocking rates, and support farmers to shift to regenerative organic farming,” says Larsson.
“The Commission is completely missing the opportunity for a thriving countryside with vibrant rural communities and plenty of jobs, which is restoring nature, protecting the climate and looking after people’s health.”
Larsson was pleased to see the Commission at least acknowledge the role of the world’s ocean in preventing climate change, but was disappointed that this recognition wasn’t matched with any recommended actions.
“The ocean is our biggest ally in the fight against the climate crisis, having already taken up a third of global emissions. If we’re to pass on a stable climate to our children, we must preserve the ocean’s ability to continue its essential role in absorbing carbon,” says Larsson.
“That means increasing ocean protections and regulating destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling, as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.”
Larsson says the process of developing the Government’s climate plan has been agonisingly slow for all New Zealanders concerned about the climate crisis.
“We’re now almost four years into a Government that once said tackling the climate crisis was a priority, and yet here we are, only now settling on a list of recommendations,” says Larsson.
“We can talk about recommendations until the cows come home, but until the Government gets to work and cuts climate pollution from those cows, we’re leaving ourselves and our future generations exposed to more frequent and intense droughts, floods, storms and fires that the climate crisis will bring.”
“The real test of this report is not what the recommendations are, but what the action is. The Government’s response, due in November, must not be yet another excuse for yet another year’s delay in doing what we’ve known we need to do for 30 years already.”
ENDS
Useing the statement that nz has the highest methane emmisions per person to win the argument is farcical,
Shit we can solve that problem by importing 10 million more people.
I agree, bwaghorn; bad strategy, but that doesn't change the figure for methane emissions.
But NOX does change CH4
Please expand your claim, Poission.
Chapman chemistry.
Please expand your reference to "Chapman chemistry" 🙂
It's radical OH
I'm up for it: beam it down, Scotty!
Close heuristic as the hydroxyl radical (OH) is the detergent of the atmosphere.
Leaving what in its wake?
Robert, for info. An atmospheric ‘hydroxyl hole‘ is cause for concern.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxyl_radical#In_Earth's_atmosphere
Or we could amortise those methane emissions over the people and countries that we feed.
You’re correct about per capita emissions being more than a little misleading because generally you get guilt free imports, unless it’s oil, then the exporter gets guilt free exports.
Are we feeding countries, Graeme? Or are we supplanting the breast-milk of Asian women with that of cow's, and bulking-up junk-food with cow-protein for consumers overseas who don't know what they're eating?
That was a hard question Robert. I'm glad you asked that. (Politician/business CEO.)
Good point – for years New Zealand has been encouraging Asian countries to switch to milk and meat based diets
I guess, the government doesn't want to kill the goose laying golden eggs or, in this case, the cows providing "golden milk"… now this reminds me of Urzila Carlson and "Golden nugget milk" 😂
Anyway, finding alternatives to industrial animal farming must be top of the science list here in NZ… as a matter of highest urgency. Continuing polluting on highest level as long as possible is the likely path NZ is going to take (as we're going to do on the transport subject as well).
Whatever happened to the Greenhouse Gas/emmissions blah blah research collaboration between industry and CRIs? Was set up maybe 8, 9 years ago?
Here’s a link to the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre, which is just one example: https://www.nzagrc.org.nz/
of course one of the most effective moves the individual can make to mitigate against climate change is to stop eating animal flesh ..and all the attendant side-dishes from that industry most foul…
the animal slavery/exploitation industries..
but people addicted to eating flesh don't like to hear that…do they..?
they would rather point the finger at/demand of others/gummint..eh..?
Don't worry soon enough we will have pine bork to eat. I hear you can make some nice 'bleeding' steaks outta that, just add some beetroot juice or so.
https://www.odt.co.nz/rural-life/rural-life-other/fears-productive-farmland
bork should have been bark, no edit function. 🙂
Ahhh, don't despair. There are very educated people already proposing wide ranging solutions to combat climate change (sarc) 🤣
https://play.stuff.co.nz/details/_6258191354001