Tackling methane menace

One of the least discussed outcomes of CoP26 was the methane agreement which is likely to have serious and far-reaching consequences on the agricultural practices hitherto followed worldwide.

In the CoP26, the Global Methane Pledge was initiated jointly by the USA and the European Union. Over 100 countries have made a non-binding pledge to cut methane emissions by at least 30 per cent, compared to 2020 levels, by 2030.

Though the three largest emitters — India, Russia and China — did not join the bandwagon, it is argued that certain aspects of traditional agriculture, poverty reduction, and food security may be at risk as mitigation of methane in the agriculture sector is seen, by many policymakers, as an essential measure towards tackling climate change. Till date, the onus of GHG mitigation had, primarily, rested on industry in general and fossil fuel sector in particular. Agriculture was kept outside the purview of agreements related to GHG mitigation. With the methane pledge, agricultural practices have now also been included in the 'global fight against climate change'!

In this context, it should be mentioned that for FY 2020-21, the share of agriculture in GDP touched over 20 per cent — making the sector the sole bright spot in GDP performance that year. In the less agriculturally focused EU27, the agricultural sector contributed an estimated 172 billion Euros towards the EU's GDP — equivalent to 1.3 per cent of the total. So, compared to the EU, the importance of agriculture is far greater in India and it needs special protection.

The methane problem

Methane is commonly described as having 28-34 times the warming potential of CO2, but this is a little misleading. With a 12-15-year lifespan, methane traps around 80 times the heat CO2 does over 20 years, dropping to 28-34 times over a century. Climate scientists claim that limiting methane emissions could be an excellent solution for effectively curtailing short-term warming.

Various statistics suggest that agriculture is a key GHG source. Agriculture, forestry, and land use are indeed responsible for about 25 per cent of all GHG emissions. Agriculture is, however, also a significant "sink" — sequestering carbon from the atmosphere in volumes that effectively offset at least 20 per cent of the sector's CO2 emissions.

Other farm sector GHGs are methane and nitrous oxide — the second and third largest global contributors respectively. Chemical-based farming is a major source of nitrous oxide in agriculture. In the case of the US, some 75 per cent of the source of nitrous oxide comes from agricultural soil management systems, while livestock production and paddy cultivation are considered the main sources of global methane emissions.

Agriculture accounts for 40 to 53 per cent of human-caused methane emissions. Therefore, action in the agriculture sector will be critical to bringing down methane emissions to the required levels. But most of the attention on the methane pledge in CoP26 has focused on "low-hanging" fruits of reducing methane emissions through improvements in oil and gas infrastructure, such as fixing leaky pipes.

Despite the lack of specific mention of this at COP26, agriculture is included as a sector in the EU and the US strategies around methane. The EU strategy includes plans to (i) increase efficiency, i.e., reduce the methane emissions intensity of livestock and (ii) address the need for dietary shifts, whereas the US strategy only focuses on increasing efficiency per unit of output.

To mitigate methane emissions from livestock, a range of new pellets and chemical supplements are emerging from companies such as the Swiss start-up Mootral and the Dutch firm Koninklijke DSM NV that can act as Gas-X for cows. Moreover, basic dietary changes for cows can alter their digestive chemistry and reduce their belching and flatulence. Environment activists are also applying pressure on the consumers to choose plant-based meats over animal meats until the livestock producers cope with their emissions problem, reported Bloomberg.

Possible impact of methane pledge on Indian agriculture

(i) Though India has not signed the recent methane agreement, being a major exporter of agricultural products, it may find it difficult to access markets of the USA and the EU if measures to mitigate methane emission from the farm sector are not taken. Organic farming is likely to be hit as it uses organic manures — considered as major methane emitters.

(ii) No initiative has been taken at CoP26 to mitigate nitrous oxide, another source of firm GHG. Should methane tax be imposed, farmers will be forced to switch to chemical farming from organic farming.

(iii) Genetically modified (GM) seeds may emerge as a major game changer by providing solutions to mitigate farm GHG like methane and nitrous oxide. 'Gene-modifying techniques could reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from livestock, helping to feed the world while combating the climate emergency', scientists have already claimed, as reported by The Guardian. It should be mentioned that till now the EU has not given approval to GM food though European firm Syngenta is one of the greatest proponents of GM seeds.

Solution

There exists a very simple and remunerative technology for mitigating farm-sector methane emissions — biogas digester. It also produces cooking fuel by capturing the methane produced from animal dung in the digester. One of the primary objectives of the National Biogas and Fertilizer Management Program was to 'provide fuel for cooking purposes and organic manure to rural households through family-type biogas plants'.

However, just after the Global Methane Pledge in CoP26, the government has withdrawn all kinds of subsidies provided to the farmers for installation of biogas digesters! Indian Biogas Association (IBA) has condemned the move, saying it will impact India's goal of self-sufficiency in fossil fuels and affect 50 million farmers, reported Economic Times.

Though the Indian government has very rightly abstained from making any commitment on methane reduction during CoP26, its decision to withdraw subsidies for biogas plants to mitigate farm sector methane is baffling. Awareness among all major stakeholders about the challenges the farm sector is likely to face due to its inclusion in the USA and the EU in their 'fight against climate change' is urgently needed.

The government should chalk out a long-term plan to popularise bio-gas among farmers. The existing strategy to promote biogas digester as a viable low-cost energy source for cooking fuel has failed. It should be repositioned as an important tool for mitigation of the farm sector methane which is crucial for the fight against climate change and global warming.

Views expressed are personal