Commentary: Dairy industry takes on global warming challenge

Issue Date: February 28, 2007

 

By Mark Looker and Paul Martin

California dairy families, as they often do, find themselves once again on the front lines of a high-profile environmental issue--global warming.

Gov. Schwarzenegger in October signed Assembly Bill 32 into law, committing California to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by the year 2020. The California Air Resources Board is charged with monitoring and regulating sources of greenhouse gases in order to reduce emissions. The state's 2,000 dairy families find themselves at the forefront of the initial attempts to come to grips with the implementation of this historic and far-reaching legislation.

To help establish the necessary baseline of knowledge that both dairy producers and government regulators will need to meet the challenges of AB 32, Western United Dairymen, in partnership with the California Farm Bureau Federation and Sustainable Conservation, sponsored a symposium last week to address the impact of these climate-change rules, as well as ongoing air quality rules. In a telling sign of interest, dairy producers comprised more than 40 percent of the audience.

Michael Robert of the Air Resources Board presented the case that global warming is real and requires action by state government. The ARB Web site says that agriculture and forestry account for 8 percent of the greenhouse gas inventory, and, of that amount, 27 percent is attributable to livestock production. The ARB predicts that climbing temperatures could have an adverse impact on dairy production, with the worst-case scenario being a drop of up to 30 percent in milk production.

Michael McCormick, policy director for the California Climate Action Registry Protocol, outlined the development of a voluntary protocol to support the installation of methane digesters. The proposed protocol encompasses direct emissions reductions related to manure management. A working group, which included WUD and CFBF representatives, is nearing completion of its work and the protocol is expected to be available for public review in April or May.

Six companies that deal in the trading of air quality credits made symposium presentations on their services. Their mere existence is a telling indication of how robust the global warming market may turn out to be and how attractive the California dairy market has become to energetic entrepreneurs.

As one wide-eyed audience member simply noted, "We just don't milk cows anymore, do we?"

California dairy families are cautiously testing the waters of this new carbon-credit-trading world. Their dairy operations remain, above all, businesses that require clear, precise information on which to make well-informed decisions. There are a lot of technologies out there that are exciting and interesting, but how cost-effective are they? Trading carbon credits sounds glamorous, but what are the risks involved? What true societal benefit is derived from investing millions of dollars of public funds in chasing greenhouse emissions that comprise a small percentage of the overall problem?

These and other questions raised at the symposium mark just the beginning of a welcomed dialogue on the potential ramifications of implementing AB 32. On a broader level, global warming is a worldwide social issue, and while not considered by dairy farmers as a pressing business issue, it is clear that a business-oriented approach will be a preferred way to respond to the challenge.

However, as pointed out by participants from the Swedish embassy who hosted a recent biogas symposium in California, there needs to be support provided by the broader community for dairies and other businesses to deal with this complex issue, as the marketplace is currently not capable of responding effectively on its own. The governor has called on all Californians to lead the world in developing economically beneficial ways to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Western United Dairymen looks forward to continuing the dialogue and helping to provide the forums where sound science and rational debate can help lead to common-sense solutions.

(Mark Looker is Director of Communications for Western United Dairymen and may be contacted at mllooker@ainet.com; Paul Martin is Director of Environmental Services for Western United Dairymen and may be contacted at paulwud@callatg.com.)

Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item. Top