Danish Farmers Will Pay Tax on Their Gassy Cows

In a world first, Denmark will tax livestock farmers for the greenhouse gases emitted by their cows, sheep, and pigs beginning in 2030. The country is targeting the major source of methane emissions as part of an effort to reduce Danish greenhouse gas emissions by 70% from 1990 levels by 2030, said Taxation Minister Jeppe Bruus. Details from the AP:

• The tax: As of 2030 (and factoring in an income tax deduction), Danish livestock farmers will be taxed about $17 per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent. The tax will increase to $43 by 2035. CNN reports that, based on the roughly 6 tons released per cow each year, at the lower tax rate that works out to about $100 a year per cow.
• Methane's role: Although carbon dioxide typically gets more attention for its role in climate change, methane traps about 87 times more heat on a 20-year timescale, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• Its source: Livestock account for about 32% of human-caused methane emissions, says the UN Environment Program. Of what livestock contribute, some 90% comes from the way they digest, through fermentation, with the resulting methane released as burps through their mouths. Cows—Denmark has about 1.5 million of them—make up most of this belched methane. Most of the remaining 10% of livestock methane comes off manure ponds on both pig and cattle operations.
• A failed attempt elsewhere: New Zealand had passed a similar law due to take effect in 2025. However, the legislation was removed from the statute book on Wednesday after hefty criticism from farmers and a change of government at the 2023 election from a center-left ruling bloc to a center-right one. New Zealand said it would exclude agriculture from its emissions trading scheme in favor of exploring other ways to reduce methane.

(More methane stories.)