TO GO WITH AFP STORY 'NZealand-farm-emissions-climate-research,FEATURE' BY NEIL SANDS Cattle sit on a hillside above the city of Wellington on April 24, 2012 as a New Zealand research progamme to meticulously measure lifestock belching has begun, aiming at slashing the emissions that farm animals contribute to climate change. Recording livestock methane levels may not seem the most glamorous scientific endeavour, but researcher Peter Janssen says it has the potential to make a real difference in the fight against global warming. Around 20 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions blamed for climate change come from agriculture, making the sector a major player in efforts to boost environmental sustainability with the figure even higher in New Zealand, where about 35 million sheep and eight million cows account for half the greenhouse gas emissions in an economy heavily reliant on primary industry.
