There is now a broad acceptance that increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, mainly from energy production, are causing a warming of the earth’s atmosphere and leading to some warming in the climate. We see evidence of this acceptance all around us from Tesla cars and a flight from fossil fuels.

The role of farming in contributing to these warming greenhouse gases is more contested, mainly because of the differing views surrounding the main greenhouse gas involved – methane. But even the role of farming and animal production in capturing or sequestering carbon is being reassessed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Whether we like it or not, we as farmers and the country are following the Paris agreement, facing legal constraints on how we produce energy and how much greenhouse gases we generate. Part of this greenhouse gas generation can be offset by capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Forestry has long been recognised and acknowledged as an efficient long-term storer of carbon.

Well-managed grass with legumes such as clover following liming, increases the amount of CO2 sequestered

Up to now, grass has not been broadly recognised as having an important role in capturing or sequestering carbon. The latest IPCC report, however, recognises that growing grass absorbs CO2. Well-managed grass with legumes such as clover following liming, increases the amount of CO2 sequestered. It is especially true when managed grass is compared with grass left unused and wild. This is an important development for a grass-rich country such as Ireland.

There is also an acceptance that well-managed grassland captures carbon and locks it in the soil, while methane, judging from recent publications, would justify a revised view of the role it plays as a greenhouse gas. This review needs to be undertaken with scientific rigour rather than prejudiced hysteria.