New Zealand Announces World-First Plan to Tax Cow and Sheep Burps
New Zealand has announced a plan to tax livestock burps in an effort to curb the country's gas emissions.
Methane emissions from animals is a well-known issue. Cows alone are responsible for about 40% of those planet-warming gases globally — mainly through their burps. UC Davis scientist Ermias Kebreab is something of a cow whisperer who has spent two decades studying the greenhouse gas contributions of hoofed animals. "If you tell me how much your animal is consuming, I can tell you pretty closely to the actual emissions using mathematical models," he said.
Past measures to tax farmers have met strong resistance, but New Zealand's climate change minister James Shaw thinks it is a good start. A final decision on New Zealand's plan is expected by the end of the year.