Around the world, chickens and pigs are contributing to reducing global warming, while cows and sheep are lagging behind. These farm animals are major producers of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that is often overlooked compared to carbon dioxide but is crucial in the fight against climate change. Government policies and a UN-supported system of emission credits have become profitable for investors, farmers, and large polluters like power stations who want to offset their greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide. Methane is significantly more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere, and it is relatively easy to capture the gas from sources like animal waste, landfills, coal mines, or leaky natural gas pipes. Climate scientist Paul Fraser from Australia stated that one-fifth of the global warming caused by greenhouse gases can be attributed to methane emissions since before the industrial era. Methane levels in the atmosphere have risen significantly, surpassing natural levels from the past 650,000 years. Human activities are mainly responsible for this increase. The UN's climate panel will be focusing on ways to reduce methane and other greenhouse gas emissions in an upcoming report in Bangkok. Bill Hare, climate policy director for Greenpeace, mentioned that reducing methane emissions may be a more cost-effective solution compared to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. He stated that in the United States, much of the policy discussion has been focused on methane rather than on more complex issues like CO2 emissions from coal. This is because capturing methane from sources such as landfills, mines, fossil fuel production, or natural gas lines is relatively simple and economically viable. Methane is a key component of natural gas and can be used to generate power. However, agriculture presents a greater challenge, particularly when it comes to methane emissions from livestock and rice cultivation. Hare emphasized the need for a balanced approach, as changing agricultural practices may require longer time scales compared to industrial sectors. Rice paddies and other irrigated crops, along with natural wetlands, produce significant amounts of methane. Additionally, methane is stored in large quantities in sub-polar regions, permafrost, and under the sea. There are various options being explored to reduce methane emissions, such as additives for livestock and changing rice paddy flooding techniques. Despite these efforts, the level of methane in the atmosphere has remained stable since 1999, according to Fraser, who leads the Changing Atmosphere Research Group at Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. This is believed to be happening because the drying of tropical wetlands is offsetting the increase in emissions from the oil and gas industry. It is uncertain how long this trend will continue. Fraser stated that most people agree that methane emissions will eventually increase due to the global demand for natural gas, rice, and cattle. This is why chicken manure and pig waste are valuable commodities. The Clean Development Mechanism, under the UN's Kyoto Protocol, allows wealthy countries to meet their emissions targets by funding projects in developing countries that absorb greenhouse gases, in exchange for carbon credits. This has led to significant investments in large pig farms in South America and poultry farms in India. The waste from these farms is processed in digesters to extract methane, which is then either burned to generate electricity or flared to produce CO2 - a less harmful greenhouse gas. Interest in these projects is increasing, according to N Yuvaraj Dinesh Babu of Carbon Exchange in Singapore, which trades Kyoto carbon credits and facilitates emissions off-setting deals. The Kyoto system of emissions credits has gained popularity, 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 the ultimate solution. He suggests that more focus should be placed on reducing carbon dioxide emissions and controlling methane sources that are difficult to manage. Currently, only half of methane emissions are being controlled, such as those from landfills, coal mines, and the oil and gas industry, according to Singer, who leads WWF's European Energy and Climate Policy Unit. Singer is concerned about the rising methane emissions from ruminants, particularly due to the increase in beef consumption in a wealthier world. The Western diet has a significant impact on the environment. In the US, cattle release approximately 5.5 million tonnes of methane annually, making up 20 percent of the country's methane emissions, as reported by the Environmental Protection Agency. In New Zealand, approximately half of all greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture. Singer's main concern 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 have catastrophic consequences.