Short- and long-term warming effects of methane may affect the cost-effectiveness of mitigation policies and benefits of low-meat diets

PEREZ DOMINGUEZ Ignacio; DEL PRADO Agustin; MITTENZWEI Klaus; HRISTOV Jordan; FRANK Stefan; TABEAU Andrzej; WITZKE Peter; HAVLIK Petr; VAN MEIJL Hans; LYNCH John; STEHFEST Elke; PARDO Guillermo; BARREIRO HURLE Jesus; LEVIN-KOOPMAN Jason; SANZ SANCHEZ Maria

Short- and long-term warming effects of methane may affect the cost-effectiveness of mitigation policies and benefits of low-meat diets

2021 | 2022

Methane’s short atmospheric life has important implications for the design of global climate change mitigation policies in agriculture. Three different agricultural economic models are used to explore how short- and long-term warming effects of methane can affect the cost-effectiveness of mitigation policies and dietary transitions. Results show that the choice of a particular metric for methane’s warming potential is key to determine optimal mitigation options, with metrics based on shorter-term impacts leading to greater overall emission reduction. Also, the promotion of low-meat diets is more effective at reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to carbon pricing when mitigation policies are based on metrics that reflect methane’s long-term behaviour. A combination of stringent mitigation measures and dietary changes could achieve substantial emission reduction levels, helping reverse the contribution of agriculture to global warming.

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JRC.D.4 - Economics of Agriculture

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