Australia has made a historic commitment to cut methane emissions by 30%
Australia has pledged to reduce methane emissions in response to exaggerated claims made about the plan by the previous administration.
Australia has reversed its previous Coalition government's decision to reject the international agreement and joined a historic global pledge to cut methane emissions by 30% within ten years.
The nation's top farming associations have praised the decision while cautioning the Federal Government against taking similar interventionist measures to New Zealand's contentious 'burp tax' legislation, which they claim "undermines" agricultural productivity.
The Global Methane Pledge now has 122 signatories, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
Scott Morrison, a former prime minister, had declined to sign on to the Joe Biden-led commitment, which aims to reduce emissions by 30% by 2030.
At the time, Barnaby Joyce, the deputy prime minister, asserted that the pledge would force farmers to cull their herds to reduce methane emissions.
Chris Bowen, the minister responsible for climate change, stated on Sunday that the pledge would help prevent 0.2 degrees of warming.
According to Mr. Bowen, we are the eleventh largest methane emitter in the world.
We won't use arbitrary domestic targets, new taxes, or reductions in livestock as part of our strategy. Both domestic and international reductions will be necessary.
According to Mr. Mahar, the red meat industry intends to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
The non-binding pledge's signatories pledge to cut emissions in the waste and energy industries while also looking into new technological developments and collaborations with farmers in the agricultural industry.
According to Mr. Bowen, the Federal Government will put $3 billion into low-emission technology, component manufacturing, and agricultural methane reduction.
An additional $8 million will be given to the seaweed sector to aid in the commercialization of the low-emissions livestock feed additive Asparagopsis.
According to Fiona Simon, president of the National Farmers Federation (NFF), farmers are already at the forefront of the fight against climate change.
As an export-oriented industry, it will strengthen agriculture's established commitment to sustainability and ongoing access to important markets, according to Ms. Simon.
Farmers had been given assurances there would be no taxes or livestock reductions, according to NFF Chief Executive Tony Mahar.
According to him, Australia's agricultural sector has already reduced its emissions from 2005 levels by about 59%.
Agriculture has expended considerable time and effort to ensure that the discussion about climate change is continued, that our agenda is heard, and that our warnings are acknowledged.
According to Mr. Bowen, it was a significant step for Australia in the fight against emissions to slow down climate change.
He asserted that the nation was moving past "denial and delay" and accused the opposition of engaging in a "TaleSpin" in response to the federal government's decision to sign the pledge.
"This does not require Australia to reduce emissions by 30%; rather, it requires us to reduce emissions as much as possible while contributing to a 30% global reduction and improving our measurement," says Mr. Bowen.