Australia needs a dedicated national plan to reduce its methane output of four million tonnes annually, which is estimated to be much higher than the global average, a report by the Climate Council has revealed.
Called the evil bridesmaid of greenhouse gases, methane traps 85 times more heat than carbon dioxide over 20 years. This is “turbocharging” global warming, leading to extreme climate events like heat waves, bushfires, and floods that the world is experiencing now, Professor Lesley Hughes, founding councilor of the Climate Council, said.
As the 12th largest methane polluter, Australia is ranked ahead of bigger economies like Germany and France. The country, with a little over 0.3% of the world’s population, produced four to five times more methane per person than the global average, the report stated.
Titled Dangerously Overlooked: Why we need to talk about methane, the report stated methane, responsible for 25-30% global warming, is at its highest level in 800,000 years. In addition, it pointed to the International Energy Agency’s claim that Australia may be under-reporting methane emission from gas and coal by 60%.
Based on government data, Australia produced four million tonnes of methane pollution in the year 2023, with agriculture and fossil fuels as the highest contributors. While methane emission from agriculture is 52%, fossil fuel mining produces 25%, and household/business waste emits 11%.
Australia has signed the Global Methane Pledge to cut down on the emission rate by 30% before 2030; however, the country currently lacks a national plan on how to achieve the target.
“But a promise is not a plan; currently, we have no dedicated national strategies or policies to deal with this harmful gas. Part of the problem is that we don’t know the true extent of our methane pollution. Official estimates rely heavily on self-reporting from the coal and gas industry, often using outdated and indirect methods,” the report pointed out.
Burps of ruminant animals — mainly cows and sheep — are considered to be the largest methane polluter in agriculture, The Conversation reported. Researchers have suggested that feeding farm animals with supplements like red seaweed Asparagopsis and the chemical marketed as 3-NOP, will help bring down methane emissions by 90%.
“To combat methane emissions in agriculture, Australia must escalate research into reducing the climate impacts of meat and dairy production,” Hughes said. “We need to incentivize farmers to cut methane emissions, promote sustainable protein alternatives and give consumers more information on the environmental effects of food choices.”
Currently, indirect and outdated methods are being used to measure methane emissions in Australia. Climate experts have urged the federal government to take steps to pressurize coal and gas mining corporations to measure methane emissions based on international practices.
With global methane pollution expected to rise by 15% this decade, the Australian government should act urgently to set up a national reduction target and plan to achieve it by 2025, the report said.
