June 4, 2024 • 7 mins
Just how bad is methane when it comes to global warming and climate change? We ask a North Otago farmer, award-winning environmentalist, and a member of the Methane Science Accord.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
She's a North Otago farmer, former winner of the Balance
Farm Environment Awards, and a member of the Methane Science Accord.
I'm really interested and what she has to say about
comments made on yesterday's show by Steve Muller, who is
the founder, president and chief executive of a seaweed feed
company called H four Global. This is what Steve had
(00:22):
to say about methane to your.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Second question, is methane really a problem? Think about it
this way. We have a certain level of greenhouse gases.
Methane is over a twenty year period, eighty six times
more in fact impactful than carbon dioxide. One point five
billion cows on the planet produce using that amount more
(00:46):
than twelve gigatons carbon dioxide equivalents. So is it a problem?
I think the answer is we have too much methane
in the atmosphere continues to go up year on year.
It's a contributed to the climate change and so irrespective
of its source, if we can reduce it significantly and dramatically,
(01:07):
we do the planet the benefit.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
What say you? Jane Smith got afternoon, Good after.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Jamie and thirty Congratulations on your King's birthday. Honest, as
I said, to someone the other day. You've certainly got
a big ego, but fortunately your heart is even bigger, Jamie.
And I again thank you for your work that you've
particularly done in the farm of mental health space bringing
that out on the air, Jamie, so well done on that.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Well, Jane, you're damning me by faint praise. I think
that was a compliment in a roundabout sort of way.
Talk to me about methane.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Well, I don't want to waste too much time on it.
The Jesus Jones methane sermon that he served you up.
What's a lot of hot earif today, Jamie. I'm not
sure what he's hiding behind that beer, but he's obviously
a very clever salesman, and I'll suggest, if he's given
the chance, in the right price, he possibly sell his
own grandmother, particularly if they could market as a climate
change mitigation. But at the end of the day, and
(01:58):
I'll cover off shortly some of those spectually incorrect areas
that he stated, and he can sell whatever he likes,
and I'm sure it's probably his seaweed snake oil may
well work, But in terms of beings, simply a solution
looking for a problem.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Jamie.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
So I did wonder how much seaweed or golden bay
hay he had been spoken when he Since he has
suggested that rumen at methane is the single biggest man
made source of methane. And I see he's been giving
speeches around the world stating this, Jamie, So that's actually incorrect.
And when when you look at global roomen at methane,
which is fourteen or one four percent around the world,
(02:37):
has production bio mass burning, landfills, coal mining, et cetera
accounts to thirty three percent. Rice paddy fields ironically accounts
for over twenty percent. So I wonder what he's going
to be selling to rice farmers.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Is he right in saying methane is eighty six times
more impactful for global warming than CO two. That seems
like a bloody big number to me.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
So this is a this is a this is the tragedy, really, Jamie.
And again this is where politics of fear is taking
more replacement science facts. So he hasn't bothered to vaguely
understand the you know who's using outdated metrics. Even the
IPCC has has discredited the metrics that these using. He's
using GWP one hundred and GWP twenty which are grossly
(03:21):
overstating rumnante methane. And even if you you know, even
if you use the lower end of those those figures,
it's a grossly misunderstood mathematic calculation. So in saying that
any ongoing increase of methane would have the type of
increase of warming that CO two does, absolutely incorrect. So
(03:43):
COO two is approximately I think it's twenty five per
cent of more warming and methane is approximately one percent.
And by the way, he didn't even take the time
to look at New Zealand's methane ruminant methane profile and
our downwards trajectory. So again, get your facts straight before
come and sell a snake oil, which, as I said,
possibly works. But this is this is a thing, Jamie.
(04:06):
We have a major problem in our secture at the moment.
We've got a number of Ponzi schemes that are looking
looking to be a solution for a problem that doesn't exist.
And sad reality is, in New Zealand at the moment
there's over five hundred million dollars being wasted on these
types of schemes. So do what you like to see
(04:26):
what you like to your animals, but actually make sure
there is an actual problem there first. And you look
at the fail two hundred million dollars of the failed
Heywoker echinoa scheme. And thank you to the farmers that
said fight like this, because I see that two hundred
million dollars has come back and as a budget saving
to pay for the cancer drake exceeta that the nets
promised and we haven't delivered. So we've got money wasteed,
(04:47):
not low meathing genetics. Anyone knows things about genetics. We'll
see that that is just pacting ourselves.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Into a corner.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
We said that eggri zero. Now that is a Ponzi
scheme through and through one hundred and eighty seven million
dollars of which your listeners are paying for half of
Jamie and A. Companies such as banks and in some
of our financial companies like Sidney and Raising Down and
silpium farms that are that are you know, not locking
all that financially robust at the moment, have signed up
(05:14):
for this without a single single rationale that had signed
So actually, you know, these types of things have actually
failed New Zealand farmers in terms of we thought we're
on this journey to promote our taste, pure nature, our
low input, non GMO, free range biodiversity, guardians of natural resources,
pasture raised, and somehow, Jamie, somewhere in someone's boardroom, someone
(05:40):
decided on behalf of farmers that we needed to sort
of emulate in transition to sort of EU type of
farming systems. And the've talked about that yesterday in terms
of feed dots and editors and boldnesses and vaccines and
all of these things that industry was natural by biological
ruminant process, Jamie, And I guess the other thing that
concerns me most as a farmer is that all of
(06:03):
these are a massive distraction from the actual tangible environmental
initiatives that we can do out there today. So at
what point did the global consumer and I've challenged the
lights of silt fare farms, et cetera on this decide
that emissions at all costs, even with using failed science,
was more important than animal wealthare pasture raised, as I said, Jamie,
(06:24):
So I feel like now's the time, Jamie, for farmers
to take back our own narratives, to take control out
of the boardrooms and bring it back into the paddock. Otherwise,
if we continue to go down this track and continuously
overstate the role of any that me saying is paying
in global warman, then we will end up, Jamie, with
pine trees on our hells, feedlots on our flats, and
(06:45):
we'll all be lining up at the food beach.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Doain all right, Jane, I'm going to have to stop
you on full flight there very quickly. You're farming in
North Otago there. I know the east coast of the
South Island's still very very dry. I'm hearing bad, bad
horror stories out of North Canterbury. I hope the four
cars is are wrong saying you guys are headed for
a dry on average winter, because Goodness knows you need
to recharge.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
It's interesting, Jamie. We certainly are dry, and I am
not as dry as North Cannoby, and I really feeling
for those farmers up there. But Extra historically went to
as our dry as time. So during July August we
tend to get known whatsoever, but spring mother nature will
provide and you can look at the historically the trends.
If we do get a dry summer in autumn, we
(07:28):
follow follow through with some good spring range Jamie. So
again animals. I look at all the life took are
really looking good in terms of conditions, and farmers are
just making those early calls and good calls and just
getting back to to bear basics in terms of stocks, Jamie,
So onward and upwards of spring.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
That's the attitude. Jane Smith. Always good to chat on
the country. Thanks for your time.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Thanks Sammy,
She's a North Otago farmer, former winner of the Balance
Farm Environment Awards, and a member of the Methane Science Accord.
I'm really interested and what she has to say about
comments made on yesterday's show by Steve Muller, who is
the founder, president and chief executive of a seaweed feed
company called H four Global. This is what Steve had
(00:22):
to say about methane to your.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Second question, is methane really a problem? Think about it
this way. We have a certain level of greenhouse gases.
Methane is over a twenty year period, eighty six times
more in fact impactful than carbon dioxide. One point five
billion cows on the planet produce using that amount more
(00:46):
than twelve gigatons carbon dioxide equivalents. So is it a problem?
I think the answer is we have too much methane
in the atmosphere continues to go up year on year.
It's a contributed to the climate change and so irrespective
of its source, if we can reduce it significantly and dramatically,
(01:07):
we do the planet the benefit.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
What say you? Jane Smith got afternoon, Good after.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Jamie and thirty Congratulations on your King's birthday. Honest, as
I said, to someone the other day. You've certainly got
a big ego, but fortunately your heart is even bigger, Jamie.
And I again thank you for your work that you've
particularly done in the farm of mental health space bringing
that out on the air, Jamie, so well done on that.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Well, Jane, you're damning me by faint praise. I think
that was a compliment in a roundabout sort of way.
Talk to me about methane.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Well, I don't want to waste too much time on it.
The Jesus Jones methane sermon that he served you up.
What's a lot of hot earif today, Jamie. I'm not
sure what he's hiding behind that beer, but he's obviously
a very clever salesman, and I'll suggest, if he's given
the chance, in the right price, he possibly sell his
own grandmother, particularly if they could market as a climate
change mitigation. But at the end of the day, and
(01:58):
I'll cover off shortly some of those spectually incorrect areas
that he stated, and he can sell whatever he likes,
and I'm sure it's probably his seaweed snake oil may
well work, But in terms of beings, simply a solution
looking for a problem.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Jamie.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
So I did wonder how much seaweed or golden bay
hay he had been spoken when he Since he has
suggested that rumen at methane is the single biggest man
made source of methane. And I see he's been giving
speeches around the world stating this, Jamie, So that's actually incorrect.
And when when you look at global roomen at methane,
which is fourteen or one four percent around the world,
(02:37):
has production bio mass burning, landfills, coal mining, et cetera
accounts to thirty three percent. Rice paddy fields ironically accounts
for over twenty percent. So I wonder what he's going
to be selling to rice farmers.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Is he right in saying methane is eighty six times
more impactful for global warming than CO two. That seems
like a bloody big number to me.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
So this is a this is a this is the tragedy, really, Jamie.
And again this is where politics of fear is taking
more replacement science facts. So he hasn't bothered to vaguely
understand the you know who's using outdated metrics. Even the
IPCC has has discredited the metrics that these using. He's
using GWP one hundred and GWP twenty which are grossly
(03:21):
overstating rumnante methane. And even if you you know, even
if you use the lower end of those those figures,
it's a grossly misunderstood mathematic calculation. So in saying that
any ongoing increase of methane would have the type of
increase of warming that CO two does, absolutely incorrect. So
(03:43):
COO two is approximately I think it's twenty five per
cent of more warming and methane is approximately one percent.
And by the way, he didn't even take the time
to look at New Zealand's methane ruminant methane profile and
our downwards trajectory. So again, get your facts straight before
come and sell a snake oil, which, as I said,
possibly works. But this is this is a thing, Jamie.
(04:06):
We have a major problem in our secture at the moment.
We've got a number of Ponzi schemes that are looking
looking to be a solution for a problem that doesn't exist.
And sad reality is, in New Zealand at the moment
there's over five hundred million dollars being wasted on these
types of schemes. So do what you like to see
(04:26):
what you like to your animals, but actually make sure
there is an actual problem there first. And you look
at the fail two hundred million dollars of the failed
Heywoker echinoa scheme. And thank you to the farmers that
said fight like this, because I see that two hundred
million dollars has come back and as a budget saving
to pay for the cancer drake exceeta that the nets
promised and we haven't delivered. So we've got money wasteed,
(04:47):
not low meathing genetics. Anyone knows things about genetics. We'll
see that that is just pacting ourselves.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Into a corner.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
We said that eggri zero. Now that is a Ponzi
scheme through and through one hundred and eighty seven million
dollars of which your listeners are paying for half of
Jamie and A. Companies such as banks and in some
of our financial companies like Sidney and Raising Down and
silpium farms that are that are you know, not locking
all that financially robust at the moment, have signed up
(05:14):
for this without a single single rationale that had signed
So actually, you know, these types of things have actually
failed New Zealand farmers in terms of we thought we're
on this journey to promote our taste, pure nature, our
low input, non GMO, free range biodiversity, guardians of natural resources,
pasture raised, and somehow, Jamie, somewhere in someone's boardroom, someone
(05:40):
decided on behalf of farmers that we needed to sort
of emulate in transition to sort of EU type of
farming systems. And the've talked about that yesterday in terms
of feed dots and editors and boldnesses and vaccines and
all of these things that industry was natural by biological
ruminant process, Jamie, And I guess the other thing that
concerns me most as a farmer is that all of
(06:03):
these are a massive distraction from the actual tangible environmental
initiatives that we can do out there today. So at
what point did the global consumer and I've challenged the
lights of silt fare farms, et cetera on this decide
that emissions at all costs, even with using failed science,
was more important than animal wealthare pasture raised, as I said, Jamie,
(06:24):
So I feel like now's the time, Jamie, for farmers
to take back our own narratives, to take control out
of the boardrooms and bring it back into the paddock. Otherwise,
if we continue to go down this track and continuously
overstate the role of any that me saying is paying
in global warman, then we will end up, Jamie, with
pine trees on our hells, feedlots on our flats, and
(06:45):
we'll all be lining up at the food beach.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Doain all right, Jane, I'm going to have to stop
you on full flight there very quickly. You're farming in
North Otago there. I know the east coast of the
South Island's still very very dry. I'm hearing bad, bad
horror stories out of North Canterbury. I hope the four
cars is are wrong saying you guys are headed for
a dry on average winter, because Goodness knows you need
to recharge.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
It's interesting, Jamie. We certainly are dry, and I am
not as dry as North Cannoby, and I really feeling
for those farmers up there. But Extra historically went to
as our dry as time. So during July August we
tend to get known whatsoever, but spring mother nature will
provide and you can look at the historically the trends.
If we do get a dry summer in autumn, we
(07:28):
follow follow through with some good spring range Jamie. So
again animals. I look at all the life took are
really looking good in terms of conditions, and farmers are
just making those early calls and good calls and just
getting back to to bear basics in terms of stocks, Jamie,
So onward and upwards of spring.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
That's the attitude. Jane Smith. Always good to chat on
the country. Thanks for your time.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Thanks Sammy,
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