Do you know why 2040 is a great date for ambitious green targets...it's in 16 years and by then most politicians will have retired. Seriously, the only way to cut greenhouse emissions by 90% is to entirely kill agriculture. We are not talking about carbon capture of greenhouse gas credits, we are talking 90% cut. What people don't understand is the amount of processing that agriculture requires. Let's take a low-hanging fruit, wheat, one of the simplest grains. Yet, assuming that Monsanto doesn't exist anymore, from year to year the grain for the successive planting has to be stored. You cannot just leave grain alone for a whole winter, rot will destroy about 15% to 30% of the seeds you have stored. Grains need to be moved, we call it aeration. That takes energy. mechanical planting requires energy, if you want to be a reductionist you can say, we will use Oxes and carts...guess what, Methane from the Ox is a certainty.
It doesn't matter, 90% is like saying 0%, it is an unachievable target. The only other option is small home gardens but that implies that about 80% of the population no longer exists and that all our time is spent tending gardens...
Our farm has a huge incentive to cut carbon emissions because we produce our own biogas. We have an incentive to transform our tractor fleet into gas-powered vehicles, but the technology is just not ready, and I doubt it ever will be. Filling a tractor with Def/diesel takes about 20 minutes in the field. Filling the same tractor with biogas would take two or three hours (and it's dangerous).
Where we have made massive cuts is in waste. The farm produces almost no waste, 90% of products delivered to the farm are in reusable containers. Almost all liquids are now delivered in IBC totes, and dry goods are delivered in bulk either in 2-ton bags or directly to our silos in bulk. Because of our large tractor fleet (8 now) we now have oil & greases delivered in IBC totes with pumps. The only consumables are air and oil filters.
Because we produce biogas we try to mix it to all the sauces, but for moving vehicles, it's just not worth it.
The EU politicians have made plans that are great for headlines, I am certain that the greens among you (just kidding) are pleased as punch, but this is all for show. There is nothing here to see, empty promises from empty politicians to a polity that cares more about appearance than reality.
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