Various environmental organizations have launched a campaign to ask the central Administration to approve a plan to reduce methane emissions, especially those generated by agriculture and livestock. The promoters of this initiative, led by the group Mighty Earth, demand a plan to reduce these emissions, arguing that in these sectors hardly any efforts have been made to combat warming.
This proposal has been formulated in the allegations presented to the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan, where the Administration sets out its objectives for the decarbonization of the economy.
Mighty Earth, an international organization recently established in Spain, proposes that the Government set itself the goal of reducing methane emissions by at least 40% by 2030 compared to 2020.
The request is directed especially at the agricultural and livestock sector as they generate large quantities of methane, which is the second greenhouse gas in volume after carbon dioxide (CO2), and with a warming potential 86 times greater than this. in a 20 year cycle.
The agricultural and livestock sector is responsible for 11.9% of total greenhouse gas emissions in Spain (2021 data) and is responsible for 62.7% of the methane thrown into the atmosphere.
And, within this area, the main focuses are the enteric fermentation of herbivores (belches and wind of cattle, especially), as well as pig or chicken farms and manure management. The other big focus is landfills.
The promoters of this initiative recall that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has been insisting on the need to reduce emissions of methane and other gases if the temperature increase is to be contained below 1.5ºC.
And Spain signed the Global Commitment on Methane at the Glasgow climate summit (2021), although countries have shifted action towards methane reductions in the hydrocarbon extraction and transportation sector (leak control and so on). .
“It is very good to act in the field of hydrocarbons, but it is also key to do so in the field of agriculture, livestock and waste,” says Carlos Bravo, representative of Mighty Earth in Spain and expert in public policies.
In their proposal to reduce methane emissions, these entities propose a progressive reduction in meat production levels, the promotion of healthy diets (vegetarian or with lower meat or dairy content) and the promotion of vegetable proteins.
“The Spanish Food Safety Agency recommends moderate consumption of meat since its continued and/or excessive consumption is related to health problems,” says Carlos Bravo, representatives of Mighty Earth in Spain.
“Several studies have shown that methane reduction could be more easily achieved if EU citizens changed their diet to one with less meat and dairy consumption following national guidelines, which would lead to a reduction in the volume of livestock in the U. ”, adds Carlos Bravo. These policies could mean a reduction of between 29% and 37% of the sector’s methane emissions, according to the aforementioned allegations presented.
In December of last year, the European Commission made an evaluation of the updated draft of the National Energy and Climate Plan (Pniec) of Spain, and underlined precisely the shortcomings that Mighty Earth now reveals.
The Commission already warned then that the Pniec “does not provide information on the implementation schedule, nor on the sources of financing” related to measures to reduce emissions from the agricultural sector.
In addition, it was pointed out that the plan “does not pay attention to methane emissions from enteric fermentation” in the agriculture and livestock sector, despite “which constitutes the largest source of emissions other than CO2,” he points out, pointing out to methane from cattle and sheep.
The “insufficient effort” of these sectors is also considered worrying, according to the content of the Spanish long-term strategy aimed at achieving climate neutrality in 2050.
The scenarios drawn for the middle of the century foresee significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions not from energy use for the primary sector, specifically 53% compared to the reference years (1990).
However, more of the emissions that would remain in 2050 will come from the agricultural and livestock sector, which for Bravo demonstrates the low ambition of this strategy.
