Rwanda is developing a national roadmap to reduce methane, a potent greenhouse gas that makes up 65% of the country’s total emissions
The agriculture sector, particularly the livestock sub-sector, including cattle and small ruminants, is the primary source of methane emissions in Rwanda.
These emissions originate from enteric fermentation, manure management, and the natural rumination process of livestock.
FaustinMunyazikwiye, Deputy Director General of Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), emphasized the importance of the National Methane Roadmap in Rwanda’s climate efforts. “Methane constitutes 65% of Rwanda’s total emissions, making its reduction crucial for achieving our climate goals. This roadmap will provide a detailed framework, outlining strategies and actions to significantly decrease methane emissions across sectors such as agriculture, waste management, and energy,” he stated
He highlighted that this initiative is backed by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) secretariat and is being implemented with the expertise of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences. This marks a significant stride in Rwanda’s dedication to addressing climate change and enhancing air quality.
He emphasized that converting waste into energy is a key strategy in reducing methane emissions, which are among the gases contributing to global warming.
Munyazikwiye pointed out that gases like methane, Black carbon, tropospheric ozone, and Hydrofluorocarbons, although short-lived climate pollutants, pose greater dangers than carbon dioxide.
“To illustrate, the global warming potential of methane gas is 21 times higher than that of carbon dioxide, underscoring the urgency to mitigate their emissions.”
Short-lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs) account for up to 45% of current global warming and are associated with significant health impacts, contributing to approximately seven million premature deaths annually due to air pollution, as reported by the World Health Organization.
He noted that Rwanda, committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 38% by 2030, acknowledges the critical importance of addressing these pollutants.
“The National Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Plan and Methane Roadmap project received funding from the Clean Air Coalition, which comprises 144 countries, including Rwanda,” he stated.
The primary goal of this project is to assist the Government of Rwanda in establishing a framework for measuring, reporting, and verifying emissions of short-lived climate pollutants. It also aims to integrate actions to reduce methane gas emissions into Rwanda’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) or climate action pledges, which are scheduled to be updated by 2025.
The NDCs, or climate goals, represent each nation’s efforts to lower national emissions and adjust to the consequences of climate change, and they form the foundation of the Paris Agreement.
He emphasized that short-lived climate pollutants persist in the atmosphere for a shorter period compared to other greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, yet they exert a significant influence on global warming and air quality.
“By tackling short-lived climate pollutants, we not only help slow down the pace of climate change but also immediately benefit public health and agriculture,” he stated.
Sam Yala, President of AIMS Network and Rwanda Centre, emphasized the importance of empowering professionals in climate change science, stating, “Climate change remains one of the global challenges that necessitates collective action from all of us…”
What are the methods to decrease methane emissions from agriculture and livestock?
Expanding the adoption of modern on-farm anaerobic digestion of manure for bioenergy (biodigesters) is a key priority in Rwanda’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) or climate pledge to be achieved by 2030.
The estimated cost to implement this action by 2030 is $62 million.
Rwanda’s agricultural policies and energy strategy, which aim to encourage the use of alternative fuels like biogas produced from plant and animal waste as cooking fuel, are influenced by anaerobic digestion.
Utilizing biogas is anticipated to have additional advantages beyond lowering methane emissions, such as preventing deforestation in a nation where a sizable portion of the rural populace relies on firewood for cooking.
Methane emissions from cattle are decreased, and passage rate is increased when forages are ground and pelletized.
For example, feeding cows grains and lipids reduces the amount of methane produced.
Since fat can be harmful to microorganisms that produce methane, it has been demonstrated that fats, a high energy source, can limit the generation of methane. You can include fats in your diet.
In 2019, researchers fed cows 1% of red seaweed that is readily absorbed as part of an experiment. As a result, methane emissions were reduced by an astounding 60%.
In a similar vein, the Dutch pharmaceutical company Royal DSM has created a substance that suppresses the generation of methane.
The goal of the company is to help farmers reduce the amount of methane produced during digestion by putting the material in animal feed in the future, according to earth.org.
A bacteria that resides in the stomachs of cattle and is specialized in producing methane has been identified genetically by researchers in New Zealand.
They suggest that if we can develop a vaccine to target these bacteria, we could have an effective anti-methane vaccine.
Alternatively, less complex options such as selective breeding can be employed. Eco-friendly breeds are those that grow faster.
The recommended cattle breeds grow quickly, consume less feed, and yield substantial milk production. Currently, this stands as the optimal approach for farmers and livestock companies until anti-methane vaccines and methane-reducing feed become available on the global market.
Methane traps heat in the atmosphere more than 25 times more effectively than carbon dioxide, making up almost 20% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
