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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

Denmark sets first carbon tax on agriculture

Denmark sets first carbon tax on agriculture

politico.eu

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