Global Warming Potential* (GWP*): Understanding the implications for mitigating methane emissions in agriculture

The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) has recently released an Info Note authored by Costa Jr. C, Wironen M, Racette K, Wollenberg E.  The Info Note discusses how the choice of which climate metric to use can have important implications for how we understand the relative impact of different greenhouse gases.  It explains how the application of GWP* to methane emissions accounting suggests that avoiding further warming due to methane emissions in agriculture is more attainable than previously understood.  Furthermore methane reductions can have rapid and have a rapid and highly substantial impact, which underlines the importance of making significant cuts in methane emissions immediately.  Read the full Info Note

On the back of the GWP* literature review published by GDP with dairy and beef sector colleagues in 2020, further scenario modelling is now being undertaken with the outcomes of this work planned for publication before the end of 2021.