The legislator Lucía Klug, a deputy from Unión por la Patria (UxP) and linked to Juan Grabois, presented a project to create the Environmental Methane Tax in Buenos Aires (TAMBA). The proposal aims to tax livestock emissions and channel funds towards improving urban solid waste management.
However, the initiative generated an immediate rejection in the agricultural sector, which questions both the economic cost and the lack of technical support for the measure.
Project Foundations
The legislative text is based on the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility and foresees the creation of a trust fund. This fund would seek to offset the methane generated by livestock through emission reductions achieved through proper waste management, in line with the Law No. 13.592 on Comprehensive Urban Solid Waste Management (GIRSU).
According to Klug, the tax responds to the “urgent need to face the challenges of climate change and its effects, particularly regarding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.”
Emissions in Buenos Aires and Argentina
According to the Argentina GHG Inventory, the province of Buenos Aires is one of the main emitters in the country, generating about a quarter of the national total of greenhouse gases.
- Within provincial emissions, 27% corresponds to methane (CH4).
- Livestock is responsible for 19% of these emissions, mainly due to enteric fermentation and manure management.
- Urban solid waste management contributes another 6%.
Other relevant sources include landfills and open dumps, which also release methane.
Reaction from the Livestock Sector
The Confederation of Rural Associations of Buenos Aires and La Pampa (CARBAP) immediately rejected the proposal.
In a statement, the entity expressed:
“Livestock farming in Buenos Aires already sustains one of the highest tax pressures in the country. Adding a tax to ‘cow methane’ does not reduce emissions, it reduces production, competitiveness, and employment.”
The president of CARBAP, Ignacio Kovarsky, described TAMBA as “a disguised tax on rural work” and added:
“TAMBA does not improve the environment or reduce emissions. It only adds another cost to a sector that already sustains a record tax burden.”
The entity also criticized the lack of prior consultation and questioned the efficiency of provincial and municipal public spending, pointing out that “once again, the choice is to increase fiscal pressure instead of modernizing state management.”
National Context of Methane Emissions
In Argentina, methane emissions mainly come from:
- Agriculture and bovine livestock: in 2022, enteric fermentation of livestock represented 54% of methane emissions.
- Energy sector: leaks and venting in gas and oil production and distribution contributed 17%.
- Urban solid waste: generated 12%.
Extraction in Vaca Muerta has increased energy emissions, while landfills like the North Sanitary Landfill 3 in Buenos Aires have recorded massive methane leaks.
International Precedent: The Case of Denmark
Globally, Denmark is preparing to become the first country to directly tax methane emissions from livestock.
- Starting in 2030, cattle and pig emissions will be taxed at 300 crowns (USD 44) per ton of CO₂ equivalent.
- The figure will increase to 750 crowns (USD 102) in 2035, according to an agreement reached in 2024 between the government, part of the opposition, and representatives of the livestock, industrial, and union sectors.
This international precedent reinforces the debate on how countries should address the impact of methane, the second most abundant greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.
The TAMBA project opens a complex debate in Buenos Aires: how to balance environmental responsibility with the economic sustainability of the livestock sector. While the initiative seeks to align the province with global climate commitments, the rejection from the rural sector highlights the need for dialogue, consensus, and solid technical data to advance policies that reduce emissions without affecting production and employment.
