In New Zealand, farmers suffocated by the tax plan for cow burps and farts

New Zealand intends to set up the first tax on methane and nitrous oxide emissions in the world, to control the environmental footprint of its six million cows and 26 million sheep. Methane is less abundant and does not last as long in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, but it is a much more powerful factor in climate change. This chemical compound is responsible for around 30% of global warming since the Industrial Revolution, scientists estimate, although it only accounts for a fraction of the composition of the greenhouse gas. According to the first version of this plan, farmers will have to pay according to the emissions of their animals, which sent New Zealand's farming community into a frenzy and sparked protests in late October. The farmers had simply asked the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, to abandon this tax, pointing to the risk of an increase in food prices. One of the changes made on December 21 by the government includes the possibility of offsetting animal carbon ...