When reporting on methane emissions, there is additional information and data that Ireland can submit to strengthen the credentials of its agricultural sector, TDs and seantors on the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture heard last Wednesday.
The current international standard for emissions reporting – the GWP100 – does not fully factor in the different lifespans of non-CO2 greenhouse gases, with methane being one of the most significant short-lived gas in Ireland’s emissions inventory.
Experts in the field of greenhouse gas emissions and their reporting, including Oxford University’s Professor Myles Allen and the University of California Davis’s Dr Frank Mitloehner, addressed policymakers on the tweaks they say can give a better picture of the warming effects associated with farming’s emissions.
Carbon Action Removals Group (CRAG) co-founders John Hourigan and Nadaline Webster also addressed the representatives on the opportunities for farmers to be paid for sequestration.
The deliberations were held as Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and Minster for the Environment Eamon Ryan were due to re-enter talks on agriculture’s emissions reduction target for 2030.
Watch below for some highlights of the discussions.
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