Denmark Will Start Taxing Farts And Burps From Cows, Pigs And Sheep To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Starting from 2030, farmers will have to pay taxes for each tonne of carbon dioxide emitted each year, which comes from methane produced by livestock animals.
Denmark will start taxing farts and burps from cows, pigs and sheep to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Cows stand in the field near a wind turbine in the village of Hjolderup, Denmark, on May 8, 2023. (Photo by SERGEI GAPON/AFP via Getty Images)
Starting from 2030, farmers will have to pay taxes for each tonne of carbon dioxide emitted each year, which comes from methane produced by livestock animals.
Pigs are pictured in a barn at the farm of Lars Johnson outside the town of Lynge, Denmark, on June 15, 2023. (Photo by SERGEI GAPON/AFP via Getty Images)
Animals like cows, pigs and sheep, produce methane when digesting their food and it is released through farts, burps and manure.
Cows stand and graze on grass on Svanholm Farm in Denmark. Svanholm is an organic farm and community built on ideals of ecology, income sharing and communal living. via Getty Images
That methane eventually converts to carbon dioxide and water after about 12 years in the atmosphere.
Herd of cows on the pasture is seen near Allerup, Denmark on 5 August 2021 A new project in Denmark. (Photo by Michal Fludra/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Denmark has around 1.5 million cows, and each cow can emit as much as 6 metric tons of carbon dioxide every year, making them one of the least eco-friendly food sources on Earth.
Cows run out into the field after spending the winter in the barn during so called Organic Day at a farm outside the village of Torup, Denmark, on April 16, 2023. (Photo by Sergei Gapon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The aim of the new law is to reduce Denmark's greenhouse gas emissions by 70% from 1990 levels by 2030.
The island Eysturoy one of the two large islands of the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic. Europe. Northern Europe. Denmark. Faroe Islands. (Photo by: Martin Zwick/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)A herd of young bulls grazes in a farm field near Hottot-Les-Bagues, Normandy, France, on June 13, 2024, . (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto)
The country’s tax minister said it will be a big step in helping the country become climate neutral by 2045.
Cows stand and graze on grass on Svanholm Farm in Denmark. Svanholm is an organic farm and community built on ideals of ecology, income sharing and communal living. via Getty Images
Selina Wu
