The European Commission has received a submission from a leading climate scientist urging it to reassess how methane emissions are accounted for.

Professor Myles Allen said that the EU’s aim for “climate neutrality” by 2050 has not been accurately defined and it should be based on the global warming effect of greenhouse gases, rather than a measure of total emissions.

His argument is based around the different global warming effect of various greenhouse gases.

Methane breakdown

Methane, which is emitted by ruminant livestock, has a greater global warming effect than carbon dioxide, which comes from burning fossil fuels. However, methane breaks down in the atmosphere after a decade, whereas carbon dioxide stays for centuries.

“Achieving climate neutrality in terms of metric-equivalent emissions could mean eliminating practices, such as ruminant agriculture, that are not actually causing global warming,” he said.