A new climate change pledge has the U.S. manufacturing and agriculture sectors up in arms.
The Global Methane Pledge hopes to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030. The United States and European Union revealed the plan on Sept. 18, two months before the next UN Climate Change Conference.
Thirty-one countries have signed the pledge so far. Combined, they represent 60% of the global economy. The plan's supporters say that by meeting its goals, the international community will slow global warming by 0.2 degrees Celsius by 2050.
But Obstacles Remain
However, nine out of the world's top 20 methane (CH₄) emitters have yet to add their names. These include China, Russia and India who combine produce one-third of the world's total CH₄ emissions.
While the world's worst polluters ignore the pact, manufacture and agriculture groups are warning anyone who'll listen about its consequences.
According to the American Farm Bureau, 10% of CH₄ emissions in the United States come from agriculture. By all accounts, farmers are using more renewable energy than ever before. Still, Farm Bureau argues that dramatic cuts mandated by the government would profoundly damage the economy. Yet they seem inevitable if the Biden administration hopes to achieve its goals.
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No one knows what policies the Biden administration would implement to achieve its goal. There is already talk of a methane emissions tax on Capitol Hill. Among the most salient points against it are that most businesses subject to the tax would be small businesses. Worse still, the tax would be based off of continuous ambient methane emissions measurements—and no system exists to measure that.
Another Threat to the U.S. Economy
The Daily Caller reports:
A methane tax, for example, would be devastating to U.S. agriculture, the American Farm Bureau said. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) has implored the Biden administration to propose measures, not mandates, that would be voluntary for businesses to implement.
“Getting the U.S. methane strategy right is critical for climate action and will set the bar for the rest of the world,” National Association of Manufacturers Vice President of Energy and Resources Policy Rachel Jones said in May.
“The balancing act is important here because manufacturers rely on natural gas,” Jones adds. “The richness of this resource has redefined America's competitive advantages within the global economy, especially within the manufacturing sector. We can't afford to lose that if we fail to get regulations right.”
Democrats' $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package includes fees for energy companies that produce methane emissions, Real Clear Energy reported. In response, the American Gas Association wrote a letter to top lawmakers urging them to reverse course and arguing that the fees would be passed on to consumers.
In any event, risk comes with manufacturing and agriculture. Government policies shouldn't make things worse.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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