The international pledge is led by the US and UK and 30 countries have signed up already. The Prime Minister will face pressure to follow suit when he attends the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow next week.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce,who leads the Nationals party,said on Thursday that the Global Methane Pledge would be a “disaster for regional industries”. His party demanded a guarantee that Australia would not commit to methane cuts as a condition of its support for Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
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“Methane emissions as part of this process will not be legislated or pushed forward in any way shape or form,” Mr Joyce said.
Burping dairy and beef cattle,gas production and coal mining are major sources of Australia’s methane emissions.
“This is why the Nationals party insisted methane emissions,especially in the livestock... had to be excluded,” Mr Joyce said.
Speaking later in the day Mr Morrison said he had “made it very clear” Australia would not sign the 2030 pledge,but pointed out agriculture was still required to cut its methane emissions in line with the 2050 national commitment.