CLIMATE-SMART DAIRY

Save the Planet: Focus on Methane

In 2021, a landmark report from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) sounded the alarm that additional warming is inevitable. Countries must make “strong, rapid, and sustained” reductions in carbon dioxide—the most abundant and damaging greenhouse gas. For the first time, the report also documented that reducing methane is the best and fastest strategy for slowing global warming. This means that incentivizing further reductions in methane is critically important to staving off catastrophic impacts.

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What the experts are saying:

“Quickly reducing methane could counteract global warming, while also improving air quality.”

– Maisa Rojas Corradi, IPCC Report Co-author, University of Chile

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“Cutting methane is the single biggest and fastest strategy for slowing down warming.”

– Durwood Zaulke, President, Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, Washington, D.C.

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“The report draws attention to the immediate benefits of significant reductions in methane, both from an atmospheric concentration point of view and, but also from the co-benefits to human health from improved air quality.”

– Jane Lubchenco, Deputy Director for Climate and Environment, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

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IPCC Press Release

IPCC Report Policy Summary

Consider the following:

• According to the annual California Climate Investments report, the Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP) alone is achieving more GHG (CO2e) reductions than any other climate investment, achieving 28% of total GHG reductions while being allocated just 1.5% of the funds implemented to date.

 

• At a cost of just nine dollars ($9) per ton of CO2e reduced, the DDRDP is California’s most cost effective investment in the fight against climate change.

 

• The state's family dairy farms are on course to meet the states 40% manure methane reduction goal by 2030, already implementing more than 50% of the reductions needed.

 

• Both the DDRDP and the Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) are oversubscribed, documenting the need for additional funds.

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• California cannot and will not achieve its methane and overall GHG reductions without additional investments in dairy digesters. 

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As evidenced by the passage of Senate Bill 1383 (Lara) in 2016, California has long understood the importance of slowing the release of methane (CH4) and other short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) to address global climate change. A recent global methane assessment conducted by the United Nations environmental program (UNep) emphasizes the need to further abate methane as a short-term hedge against the more damaging and long-term impacts of carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary GHG causing global warming.

 

Methane’s enormous potential as a mitigation opportunity is its short-lived nature, lasting just a decade or so in the atmosphere before breaking down. That means stabilizing existing methane emissions quickly—and further reducing methane concentrations in the atmosphere—will most effectively help the world meet its 2050 targets for fighting global warming.

 

By contrast, carbon dioxide—the most abundant GHG emission—lasts for hundreds of years. So, while it remains critical to continue reducing CO2, seeking reductions in methane is far more important in the short term.

 

As a result, funding short term methane emissions reductions should be priority number one for California. However, investments in methane reduction have decreased significantly in recent years, as funding for dairy methane reduction programs and other SLCPs have been cut, in favor of pet political projects that provide few if any actual reductions.

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Three recent reports from the Newsom Administration document the significant environmental, climate, social, and economic benefits of dairy digesters and dairy methane reduction efforts. These benefits include significant direct and indirect benefits to local disadvantaged communities and priority populations.

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California Climate Investments - 2022 Annual Report

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• Documents that the dairy digester program is responsible for achieving 28% of all GHG reductions from all programs invested in by the state with just 1.5% of total funds implemented.

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• Identifies the dairy digester program as the state's most cost effective, at just $9 per ton of reduction.

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• Reports that 67% of funds expended on dairy digesters are benefiting priority populations. 

California Air Resources Board -  Analysis of Progress toward Achieving the 2030 Dairy and Livestock Sector Methane Emissions Target

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• Documents the progress toward the targeted livestock sector methane reductions. 

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• Identifies the need for additional incentives and grant funding. ​

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• Estimates the societal benefits of reducing methane emissions at up to $1,878 per metric ton.

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• Documents the 40% target reduction in dairy and livestock methane cannot be achieved without significant additional digester development.