The Danish government will soon present a law aimed in particular at taxing methane emissions (a greenhouse gas) from livestock farming. A world first made possible by months of negotiations on the subject. They started in June 2024 between several political parties and agricultural and environmental organizations. The objective was to agree on a tax to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, reports the Danish media Copenhagen Post on November 18.
One of the key measures of this ambitious plan is to tax the methane (CH4) that ruminants emit. By 2030, each tonne of methane emitted by cows and pigs will be taxed 300 crowns (or around forty euros). In 2035, this tax will be increased to 750 crowns per tonne.
[À lire aussi Le Danemark va introduire une taxe carbone sur l’élevage, une première mondiale]
According to the Copenhagen Post quoting the signed document, “ Denmark has the potential to reduce its CO2 emissions by 2.6 million tonnes of CO2 by 2023 “. Indeed, in addition to taxing greenhouse gases from livestock farming, Denmark also wants to reduce nitrogen emissions into nature and commit to a vast renaturation plan.
Beyond a flat(ulence) tax on breeding, a renaturation plan
Agriculture occupies 60% of Danish territory, making it one of the countries with the highest proportion of land area dedicated to this activity in the world. The Danish parties agreed to reduce this area by purchasing agricultural land. The plan calls for planting 250,000 hectares of forest, restoring wetlands, including 140,000 hectares of currently cultivated marshes, and creating 5 new national parks.
[À lire aussi Les émissions de méthane au plus haut]
The agreement “ shows the country's will to act”, according to Danish Climate Minister Lars Aagaard cited by the BBC. The media note that the agreement on the plan for climate measures in agriculture is based on a broad democratic consensus in order to anchor these decisions over time and reduce the risk of subsequent disputes. According to the minister, “ it also shows that the Danish model – which is based on the search for the largest possible majority in parliament and the involvement of the sector concerned by taxes and environmental organizations – can benefit everyone. The rest of the world could take inspiration from such a cooperative approach to combat climate change. »
Julien Leprovost
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