European Environmental Bureau’s Post

Denmark leading the way with a proposal of a carbon tax on agricultural GHG emissions. Please read, I am convinced this should be approved and expanded at EU level. At Agrikola.AI we also work for the decarbonisation of agriculture.

#Denmark goes for #carbontax on #agriculture and re opens the entire debate at #European level - the national move may be well tested before we take any conclusion at #EU level https://lnkd.in/eGNNgzze

Whether it is governments through regulation, or the food and fibre supply chain setting science-based targets, the agriculture sector is under pressure as critical climate change mitigation milestones approach. We read with interest this past week that Denmark may become the first country to tax agricultural emissions, as it aims to reduce emissions by 70% across all sectors by 2030. With agriculture being a major source of emissions in Denmark, a tax of 120 kroner (NZD$28) per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions from livestock is set to be introduced. On average, each Danish cow emits about 5.6 tonnes CO₂e annually, which will now cost around NZD$150-160 per year per cow. This tax is expected to reduce the country’s CO₂e emissions by approximately 1.8 million tonnes by 2030. The revenue from these taxes will be dedicated to protecting nature, restoring ecosystems, and creating forests and wetlands through a “Green Area Fund.” Additionally, the Danish government is providing €5.3 billion (NZD$9.3 billion) to reforest 250,000 hectares of agricultural land by 2045 and set aside 140,000 hectares of lowland by 2030. Some funds will also go towards buying back certain farms to reduce nitrogen emissions. We remain interested to see how other countries will address food and fibre emissions. Will they opt for regulation or rely on market solutions? What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments. https://lnkd.in/earcKFn8

The article gives a bold proposition: "... given the difficulty of making a living from farming today, turning farms into more stable businesses owned by companies that can afford to invest might just help to keep more people on the land." Indeed, economies of scale come handy, as capex and machinery investments are expensive. 💰 Large-scale farming is the answer for the majority of global calories. 🥐 But election votes are cast by vast numbers of small farmers - and here you should seek the reasons for agri-populism. 📢 Since European #farming is materially impacted by #subsidies, governments are remaining key stakeholders of the European #foodsystem. Annual farm subsidies of about €60bn make up roughly a third of the EU budget. But even beyond that, governments must keep interest in how earth/soil in their lands is cultivated, as this is closely tied with #foodsecurity - and #nationalsecurity. Keep an eye on policy changes and understand that buying short-term peace is not a long-term solution! https://lnkd.in/eVctFsBy

The US agricultural industry has seen a significant decline in greenhouse gas emissions, falling by 1.8% between 2021 and 2022. According to a new study by the US Environmental Protection Agency, this drop is the most significant decline of any economic sector. The success can be attributed to voluntary, market- and incentive-based conservation practices that help farmers and ranchers access finances for research and technology needed to take better care of natural resources. The American Farm Bureau Federation reports that this marks the lowest US agricultural greenhouse gas emissions since 2012. #agriculture #greenhousegasemissions #conservationpractices

HISTORIC: Denmark is now the first country to place a carbon tax on agriculture emissions.

Our latest blog: "Eating into ETS", sees Institute for European Environmental Policy UK (IEEP UK), Executive Director,  Ben Reynolds interviewing our Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) colleagues Julia Bognar and Krystyna Springer about their work on this a potential new policy avenue for the European Commission on food and farming. It raises some crucial questions of today's agricultural emissions landscape, such as: 🤔 Could food and farming be part of an emissions trading scheme in the UK in the future? 💰 Could this benefit nature-friendly farmers with additional revenue if effectively targeted? 🌽 How might this work in the UK, and, is anyone else working on this? Read the blog in full on our website 👇 https://lnkd.in/eu9SvVF3 #EuropeanUnion #UnitedKingdom #AgricultureAndFarming #EmissionsReduction #Food

Denmark introduced historic climate tax on agriculture, as the first country in the world. From 2035, Danish farmers will pay a levy of DKK 300 per tonne of CO2 they emit. A CO2 tax on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions will be introduced from 2030 of DKK 120 per tonne of CO2.It will rise to DKK 300 per tonne in 2035. #agriculture #emissions #sustainability Thanks to Daniel Iddon for sharing. Guess if interest for you Erika Hombert

Fossil Fuels: Is Agriculture Accommodating Reduced Dependence? - https://lnkd.in/gB9ZxDR2 Claire Williams Agriculture Myth Busting The Canadian government has spent years reworking their federal environmental frameworks to accommodate changing sustainability standards. In 2023 for instance, as the government transitioned from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership to the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, intervention focused on, among other guiding traits from the Guelph Statement, reducing emissions and increasing sequestration. Yet, the environmental footprint of agriculture is not a priority when one compares to market performance and therefore these federally implemented frameworks have not done enough practical work for the fossil fuel-dependent industry that continuously increases its annual emissions. Combined with the structure of Canadian agriculture

Agriculture contributes more than 10% of the EU’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, mainly through the release of methane and nitrous oxide. If the EU wants to achieve its goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050, tackling GHG emissions from agriculture is crucial. However, EU member states have so far been slow in implementing measures for tackling agricultural GHG emissions. At least one EU member state is about to change this - Denmark. The Danish government announced on 24th June that it plans to introduce Europe’s first carbon tax on agriculture. From 2030, farmers would have to pay 120 Danish krone (€16) per metric ton of emitted carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). This is scheduled to rise to 300 krone (€40) from 2035 onwards. This historic agreement is the result of four months of negotiations between the government and five major associations representing the interests of the agricultural sector, the food industry, metal workers, Danish industry as a whole, and environmental protection. It is now up to the Danish parliament to approve the agreement. If the agreement is approved, Denmark would set an example for the governments of the 26 other EU member states, especially Germany, France, and Poland, to introduce similar national taxes on agricultural GHG emissions. In an ideal world, it would have been preferable to agree such a carbon tax for agriculture on EU level. Due to the dim prospects of achieving such an agreement on EU level anytime soon, national carbon taxes in this sector are the next-best solution for bringing down agriculture's GHG emissions to an acceptable level. Denmark has shown that it is possible, if you involve all relevant stakeholders in a fair negotiation process. https://lnkd.in/g7TH8Y83 #climatecrisis #carbontax #ghgemissions #eu #europeanunion #agriculture #climateneutrality #denmark