THINC (The In-house Company)’s Post

The global food system contributes significantly to the climate catastrophe, accounting for around one-third of total greenhouse gas emissions. Livestock production has a particularly significant impact on #climatechange, accounting for around 12% of global emissions in 2015, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas generated by cows and other animals through their burps and dung, contributes to some of this pollution. Dairy producers in Denmark face an annual fee of 672 krone ($96) per cow for the greenhouse gas emissions they produce. The country's coalition administration decided last week to impose the world's first carbon emissions #tax on #agriculture. It will involve additional cattle charges beginning in 2030. What do you think? Will this solve our climate issue or is it a misguided agreement that won't solve our problems? https://lnkd.in/d9ZS7d7v

In a development that climate zealots are again hailing as “historic,” the nation of Denmark has reached an agreement that would charge the country’s farmers for greenhouse-gas emissions from their livestock. The ultimate aim is to reduce Danish greenhouse-gas emissions by 70 percent from 1990 levels by 2030. Climate alarmists claim that the world’s agricultural system is a significant contributor to the alleged climate crisis, and although the amount of methane being targeted with this tax is far less than the amount of carbon dioxide being released, climate zealots argue that the effect of methane is far more concentrated. The livestock industry is said to account for 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gasses, according to a study from UC-Davis. The agreement comes after a year of protests from farmers in Europe, who claim that the EU’s draconian climate policies are unfairly punishing food producers. The Danish Parliament is expected to rubber-stamp the agreement in the coming months. https://lnkd.in/dbnrMsEM

I know that being assessed a carbon “tax” on the business air travel I chose to make affects the decisions I make about when and how to travel. I wonder if this initiative out of Denmark on livestock emissions will do the same…. #CO2 #emissions #carbontax

In a major move to address climate change, the Danish government has announced the world's first emissions tax on agriculture, set to take effect in 2030. Dairy farmers in Denmark will face an annual tax of 672 krone ($96) per cow to account for the planet-heating emissions generated by their livestock. 🇩🇰🌱 While the Danish dairy industry has broadly welcomed the climate goals, the tax has angered some farmers who worry it will hurt their competitiveness. However, the government believes the tax is necessary to drive the agricultural sector to find solutions to reduce emissions, such as changing animal feed. This development underscores the growing urgency to tackle emissions from the global food system, which is responsible for around a third of greenhouse gas output. Livestock farming, in particular, accounts for 12% of global emissions through methane released from animal burps and manure. 🌍🐄 💭 What are your thoughts on Denmark's pioneering carbon tax on livestock? We'd love to hear your perspective on this bold move and its implications for the future of sustainable agriculture. 👉 Don’t forget that, at #FoodRevolution2024, we will feature a dedicated session on sustainable animal and fish farming practices, exploring innovative approaches to reduce their environmental impact. Join us to discuss this critical issue and learn about the latest solutions for a more climate-friendly food system.

Broad Danish deal on #agriculture, #environment and #CO2 equivalent tax. A broad agreement has been reached in Denmark to reduce all emissions from agriculture (incl. a moderate #CO2-equivalent tax and less farming on high carbon soils) and to improve biodiversity. The tax may be too low to affect consumer preferences much, but can motivate farmers to reduce emissions of e.g. methane belching #ruminants. Major #environmental and #agricultural organisations developed the plan with the centrist government the two of parties not supporting are from opposite extremes. For global climate change benefits, and not only national emissions, I find it important with more support for climate smart international agriculture, agroforestry and trees. #COP29 may fail due to developing countries insist only OECD countries and not e.g. rich Arabian countries and China should pay more to climate aid while OECD countries (largely the West) does not agree. https://lnkd.in/d_bwRetr https://lnkd.in/dMnfiBXA

Pundits across the world are still trying to figure out why Green parties crashed so hard, which leads one to wonder if they were paying attention. In February, a stream of tractors driven by Italian farmers arrived at the outskirts of Rome, horns blaring. The scene, which was captured by the Agence France-Presse, was just one of dozens of protests across Europe against EU regulations that farmers said threatened to put them out of work. “They’re drowning us with all these regulations,” one farmer at a protest in Pamplona, Spain, told The Guardian. “They need to ease up on all the directives and bureaucracy.” The protests were nothing new. They began in 2019 when Dutch farmers, for the first time, drove some 2,000 tractors to The Hague to protest radical legislation designed to reduce carbon emissions, which disproportionately impacted farmers. Dutch lawmakers responded in 2022 by passing legislation that required farms near nature reserves to slash nitrogen emissions by 70 percent. “About 30 percent of the country’s cows and pigs will have to go,” The Economist noted. The policy was part of the government’s plan to sharply reduce livestock farming in Europe. The thinking was that since the livestock sector contributes to about a third of all nitrogen emissions globally, the government would have to target farmers to meet its goal to cut nitrogen emissions in half by 2030. So Dutch farmers were given a bleak choice: give a portion of their land to the government or have it taken away. By 2023, some 750 Dutch farmers had reportedly sold their land as part of the state’s buy-out scheme. Others were still trying to find a way to preserve their livelihoods. When asked by a reporter in 2023 whether he thought he would be able to pass his farm on to his children, one Dutch farmer struggled to speak. “No,” he said tearfully. “No.” https://lnkd.in/dA3wi4Z5

How will European farming evolve in the sustainability space and what measures are they facing? - Measuring a farm’s environmental footprint will be soon a must and will help address their sustainability challenges. - Downstream actors will give greater attention to sustainability issues in their reporting and potentially buying activity in future. - Certain farming practices will be required by EU regulators. Check out this great article lining out future sustainability in farming #sustainability #Sustell #SaaS #MakeTheInvisibleVisible

The new Labour government has wasted no time in tackling climate policy, but there’s a farming-shaped hole in its net zero plans with agriculture being responsible for 49% of the UK's methane emissions. Tom Lancaster, Head of Food, Land and Farming at Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, says the new government has a golden opportunity to overhaul its agricultural policies and to make real progress on reducing methane from livestock, restoring peatlands, and increasing woodland cover. #NetZero #ClimateAction #SustainableFarming #MethaneReduction #PeatlandRestoration #WoodlandExpansion #UKAgriculture #LabourGovernment Terry Slavin Ed Long Liam Dowd George Smeeton https://lnkd.in/e65DRhm4

#Denmark is set to pioneer global environmental efforts by becoming the first country to implement a tax on livestock #carbondioxideemissions starting in 2030. The taxation minister, Jeppe Bruus, announced this groundbreaking initiative aimed at reducing #greenhouse gas emissions by 70% compared to 1990 levels, in line with Denmark's ambitious #sustainability targets. This move is poised to inspire other nations to take similar action towards combating climate change. #Denmark #ClimateAction #EnvironmentalInitiative

Daily News: House Agriculture Farm Bill Escalates Climate Disasters Then Requires Taxpayers to Pay for It, Advocates Say Environmental advocates raise concerns about the House Farm Bill (H.R.8467—Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024) that emerged with provisions allowing the escalation of environmental threats and then insuring big agriculture commodity producers for attributable losses by expanding the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop insurance program. Through this taxpayer-supported program, USDA covers farm revenue losses due to “natural causes such as drought, excessive moisture [e.g., floods], hail, wind, frost, insects, and disease. . .” Petrochemical pesticide and fertilizer use in chemical-intensive land management and agricultural production contributes to the climate emergency, in addition to associated weather, insect, and plant disease threats. Advocates point out that H.R.8467 reduces environmental protections by (i) preempting local and state government authority to allow more restrictive standards at the municipal level, (ii) taking away the right to sue pesticide manufacturers and allied companies for a failure to fully disclose adverse effects of the products they produce or use, and (iii) weakening the regulatory process intended to protect endangered species and biodiversity from pesticides. The House Farm Bill fails on numerous levels to protect public health, ecosystems health, and long-term stability of the U.S. agricultural economy. Investing the same amount of funding and political will into the National Organic Program would not only ensure financial stability for farmers across markets, but serve as a bulwark against the impending crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and public health exacerbated by intervention from the toxic pesticide industry and their allies. TAKE ACTION >> Tell your U.S. Representative and Senators to support a Farm Bill that promotes a sustainable future: https://ow.ly/cLTf50S6WOn Daily News Blog Post: https://ow.ly/CrNc50S6WOo