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Farmers not as green as previously thought
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August 26th, 2013
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This article is more than 12 years old.
Claims by the agricultural industry that it reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 23 percent between 1990 and 2010 have been called into doubt. Figures from Energistyrelsen, the national energy regulator, found that after emissions were calculated based on new UN guidelines that take into account the effect on climate change of different types of gas, farmers can only claim to have reduced emissions by 14 percent. Gases like methane, which is produced in large amounts on farms, are weighted more heavily than carbon dioxide in the calculations. The finding still places the nation’s farmers better than those in most other countries, agricultural groups point out. According to climate policy think-tank Concito, the reduction was below average for all economic sectors. It predicted that any new legislation to curb emissions would be targeted at agriculture. – Information
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