CLEAR Center

The terms “carbon neutral” and “climate neutral” are part of the lexicon of global climate change terms. Though they are sometimes used interchangeably, they have different definitions. Understanding the nuances is important.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with a warming potential more than 28 times that of carbon dioxide (CO2). But when it comes to livestock and climate change, there are many other characteristics that set biogenic methane (methane from cattle) apart from CO2. Here are an important four:

It’s often helpful to look at the big picture when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, as it makes it easier to identify areas we need to focus on, but context is still necessary. Greenhouse gas emissions – as well as production – vary by each country and stating emission numbers without specifying a geographic region can drastically impact our approach to climate change solutions.

Countries around the world have varying greenhouse gas emissions policies to help limit climate change, with some stricter than others. Carbon leakage refers to a situation where a company decides to move their production from a country with stringent policies, to a country that is more lenient, leading to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.  

While all greenhouse gases (GHG) have a warming effect on our planet, this warming effect is not equivalent across all GHG. These gases behave differently in the atmosphere and their long-term effects on climate change vary. The major factor contributing to a GHG warming effect is whether it is a stock or flow gas.