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Agricultural methane and its role as a greenhouse gas - new Foodsource building block

There has recently been a lot of focus on methane, as it is an important contributor to climate change. The food system is one of the largest emitters of methane, and the gas is particularly associated with ruminant livestock (cattle, sheep and goats) and with rice production. Despite its significance as a greenhouse gas, there is also considerable confusion over how we should quantify the climate impacts of methane emissions. This is because there are important differences in how methane and carbon dioxide – the major human-generated greenhouse gas – affect the climate.

This building block provides an overview of the key points about methane, and addresses some common areas of confusion.

The Food Climate Research Network (FCRN) conducts, synthesises, and communicates research on food sustainability.

We inform and connect stakeholders with a common interest in building sustainable food systems.

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What's new

  • Featured report: Grazed and Confused? It is safe to say that the debate over grass-fed meat has left people either polarised or confused. Is grass-fed better or is it worse for the climate? What’s actually true?

  • Project: Plating up Progress? A collaborative project to define usable metrics for assessing food industry progress in delivering sustainable and healthy diets.

  • New Foodsource building block: What is environmental efficiency? And is it sustainable? The concept of efficiency and its relation to food sustainability is defined and valued in different ways. Among those who argue that improved efficiency will lead to greater sustainability, there are different interpretations of what improved efficiency actually means. Others still, view the quest for efficiency itself to be problematic and its relationship with sustainability potentially oxymoronic. This building block introduces the concept of efficiency and explores its relation to food system sustainability.

  • New Foodsource building block: Agricultural methane and its role as a greenhouse gas

    Methane has recently received a lot of attention within the food community because of its significance as a greenhouse gas, the large contribution made by the food system, and in particular its link with ruminant livestock (cattle, sheep and goats) and rice production. There is considerable confusion over how we should quantify the climate impacts of methane as opposed to carbon dioxide, because there are important differences in how the two greenhouse gases affect the climate. This building block provides an overview of methane, and addresses some common areas of confusion.

  • In Fodder this week: Emissions of methane from ammonia fertiliser plants in the United States could be one hundred times higher than previously reported - farmland bird abundance in Finland is positively associated with the nearby presence of organic animal farms - a new game for food system stakeholders aims to develop and refine policy ideas - and Greenpeace finds that none of the companies it assessed have been able to demonstrate significant action on eliminating deforestation from their supply chains.

  • Featured FCRN publication: Intensive versus extensive livestock systems and greenhouse gas emissions The purpose of this briefing paper from 2010 is to explore the different ways in which one might view the contributions that livestock in intensive and extensive systems make to greenhouse gas emissions. Why do people draw different conclusions about intensive versus extensive systems? How far do these conclusions reflect differing approaches to quantifying emissions, to considering land use, and to accepting future demand for animal source foods?