Livestock are the main contributor to agriculture sector emissions. Cows'gassy burps are loaded with methane,a byproduct of digesting grass. Last year agriculture emissions accounted for 12.9 per cent of Australia's total greenhouse gas output,down 5.8 per cent asfarmers reduced their stock due to drought.
In 1997 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change agreed on a methodology to account for the global warming potential of greenhouse emissions over a 100-year time frame,known as the GWP100.
However,some scientists promote a new accounting methodology known as GWP Star,which counts the global warming potential of greenhouse gases over 20 years.
Methane emissions break down in the atmosphere over 12 years,much quicker than carbon dioxide,which takes 100 years to break down.
Tony Hegarty from the Cattle Council said GWP Star could provide a"more accurate approximation of the actual warming"caused by methane over its lifetime.
"We are prepared to allow the scientists to do the analysis. It's better for us to call on the government and international community to have a serious conversation. I'm very confident it's a more accurate approach and it could make a significant difference to our[cattle industry] emissions,"Mr Hegarty said.
The GWP Star method says the greenhouse effect of methane should not be calculated in the same way as carbon dioxide. Under this methodology,when an industry increases above the baseline of emissions starting in 1997,that is counted as growth.