Around the world, chickens and pigs are contributing to the fight against global warming, while cows and sheep are lagging behind. These farm animals are significant producers of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that is often overlooked compared to carbon dioxide but is crucial in the battle against climate change. Government policies and a UN-supported system of emission credits have become profitable for investors, farmers, and major polluters like power plants looking to offset their greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO2. Methane is much more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, making it a valuable target for capture from sources like animal waste, landfills, coal mines, and natural gas leaks. Climate scientist Paul Fraser from Australia stated that methane has contributed to one-fifth of global warming caused by greenhouse gases since before the industrial revolution. Methane levels in the atmosphere have increased significantly since 1750, surpassing natural levels from the past 650,000 years. The UN's climate panel attributes this increase to human activities, particularly in countries like Australia where livestock emit large amounts of methane. The panel is set to release a report in May focusing on ways to reduce methane and other greenhouse gas emissions. Bill Hare from Greenpeace, a lead author of the report, mentioned that reducing methane emissions may be a more cost-effective strategy compared to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. He mentioned that a significant amount of policy debate in the United States has been focused on methane as opposed to more complex issues like CO2 emissions from coal. This is because the process of capturing methane from landfills, mines, or fossil fuel production is relatively simple and economically viable. Methane, a key component of natural gas, can be burned to produce energy. However, agriculture presents a greater challenge, particularly in terms of methane emissions from livestock and rice cultivation, where changing practices may require more time compared to industrial sectors. Rice fields and other irrigated crops, as well as natural wetlands, produce significant amounts of methane. Additionally, large quantities of methane are stored in icy sub-polar regions, permafrost, and under the sea. Various solutions are being explored to reduce methane emissions, such as additives for livestock and transitioning from intensive feed lots to range-fed animals. Adjusting the flooding schedule of rice paddies also shows promise in reducing methane output. Despite methane levels stabilizing since 1999, Fraser, from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, notes that efforts are ongoing to address methane emissions. This phenomenon is believed to occur because the decrease in moisture in tropical wetlands appears to be offsetting an increase in emissions from the oil and gas industry. The duration of this effect is uncertain. "Many believe that at some point in the future, methane levels will rise again due to the global demand for natural gas, rice, and cattle," stated Fraser. This is why chicken manure and pig waste are in high demand. The Clean Development Mechanism, under the UN's Kyoto Protocol, allows wealthy nations to meet their emission targets by financing projects that reduce greenhouse gases in developing countries, in exchange for carbon credits. The rise of large pig farms in South America and poultry farms in India has made them appealing investments. Their waste is processed in digesters to extract methane, which can be burned for electricity or flared to create CO2, a less harmful greenhouse gas. Interest in these projects is increasing, according to N Yuvaraj Dinesh Babu from Carbon Exchange in Singapore, which trades Kyoto carbon credits and facilitates emissions off-setting deals. The Kyoto system of emissions credits has been successful, with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change approving numerous methane-abatement projects in recent years and considering more. However, Stephan Singer of WWF believes this is not a complete solution. He believes that more attention should be focused on controlling carbon dioxide emissions and the sources of methane that are difficult to control. Currently, only about 50 percent of methane emissions are being controlled, specifically from landfills, coal mines, and the oil and gas industry, according to Singer, who is the head of WWF's European Energy and Climate Policy Unit. Singer is concerned about the increasing methane emissions from ruminants' stomachs, particularly due to the rise in beef consumption in a wealthier world. The Western diet has a significant impact on the atmosphere. In the United States, cattle release approximately 5.5 million tonnes of methane per year, contributing to 20 percent of US methane emissions, as reported by the Environmental Protection Agency. In New Zealand, around half of all greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture. Singer's main concern, however, is the potential sudden release of methane from sub-polar permafrost or methane hydrate deposits under the sea. Although this has not yet occurred, some scientists believe it could happen in a warmer climate. Singer warns that if methane hydrates were to leak, it would be catastrophic and irreversible.