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Denmark has taken another giant step forward in the fight against climate change: they will impose the world’s first carbon tax on livestock.
Starting in 2030, Denmark will impose a tax on farmers based on the amount of greenhouse gases their cows, pigs, and sheep release through farts, burps, and dung, specifically methane. Carbon dioxide is commonly thought to be the driver behind climate change, but methane is one of the real instigators of the crisis. According to the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, methane traps over 87 times more heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year scale, making it highly potent– and it is the chemical that is released when animals fart, burp, and excrete waste.
In 2030, farmers will be charged 300 Danish kroner ($43) per metric ton of emissions released by their livestock, and that tax will increase to 750 kroner ($108) by 2035. However, to ensure that agriculture-related businesses do not take a hit, the Danish government has offered a compromise in return: farmers will get a 60% income tax deduction.
As a reference point, one Danish cow releases around 6 metric tons of greenhouse gases per year. After this deduction, the price per cow will decrease to 120 kroner ($17) per ton and increase to 300 kroner ($43) by 2035. Farmers will pay approximately 720 kroner ($103) per cow annually, rising to 1,800 kroner ($258) in 2035. There are around 1.48 million cows across Denmark. Also, this is just the price for cows– sheep and pigs will also be counted in the tax.
This is part of Denmark’s goal to reach a carbon-neutral status by 2045, and this tax will help motivate farmers to find alternatives that can reduce the total emissions of their livestock. They also hope other countries will follow their new movement– Denmark is the first country to impose a carbon tax on livestock, but it probably won’t be the last.
On Wednesday, Bolivian former general Juan Jose Zúñiga, recently stripped of his military commander title, attempted a coup d’etat on President Luis Arce. Earlier in the day, Zúñiga gathered military units in the Plaza Murillo square, home to the presidential palace and the Congress building. A witness saw an armored vehicle ram a door of the palace, and soldiers storm it. A few hours later, President Arce swore José Wilson Sanchez in as the new military commander, the troops withdrew from the palace and square, and Zúñiga was arrested.
This comes during a tense election season between the former allies, Arce and ex-President Evo Morales. Many people, including Zúñiga, do not want Morales to retake power after a disastrous term when he was ousted. Zúñiga threatened to block Morales if he attempted to. This statement caused Arce to fire him.
At least nine people were hurt during the attempted coup, but everything is under control now. This situation highlights the political turmoil Bolivia has been facing for many years now.
Fact of the Day (Readers' Digest): Deep sea divers discovered bottles of champagne from the 1800s at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Apparently, those extremely cold temperatures are great for champagne aging. Wine experts sampled the champagne and reported that it tasted “sometimes cheesy” with “animal notes” and elements of “wet hair.”
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is. (Earnest Hemingway)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Zero-sum (adj) - Zero-sum describes something, such as a game, mentality, or situation, in which any gain corresponds directly with an equivalent loss.
In a Sentence: Dividing up the budget is a zero-sum game.
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