Reducing climate emissions from farms: New Zealand’s proposed farm levy and California policies compared

Countries must reduce emissions of greenhouse gases substantially to keep global temperature targets in reach and limit risks of destabilizing the world’s climate. Methane has a more powerful near-term warming effect than carbon dioxide. Cutting methane emissions would have a more immediate impact on the climate than cutting CO2. 40 per cent of global methane emissions come from agricultural activities, primarily from raising cattle. New Zealand plans to be the first country to introduce emissions pricing for agriculture. In contrast to New Zealand, most other countries, rather than taxing agricultural pollution, provide significant subsidies to agriculture, including subsidizing the use of fossil fuels used in agriculture. In the United States, the state of California has taken significant action to curb methane pollution from farms. This chapter will focus on the proposed taxation of methane emissions from farming in New Zealand, comparing California’s efforts at reducing methane emissions.