SOME ISSUES WITH THE REGULATION OF ANTHROPOGENIC METHANE EMISSIONS IN UKRAINE'S AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

Climate change today poses a major challenge for all humanity.These changes have already become especially urgent in various areas of human activity.Over the past 30 years alone, the average air temperature in Ukraine has increased by 1.2C [1].The number of extreme weather events that directly affect our lives is rising.The future of new generations is at risk, facing many challenges such as floods, droughts, hurricanes, and extreme temperature fluctuations.It is well known that the main cause of global climate change is the greenhouse effect, primarily resulting from the burning of petroleum products, coal, and natural gas, the creation of large landfills, and irrational agricultural practices, all of which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.It should be noted that current national legislation does not adequately regulate the various activities affecting climate change or the measures aimed at mitigating its effects.In particular, there is little focus on the impact of anthropogenic emissions of specific gases on the environment.Specifically, at the legislative level, there is almost no attention given to anthropogenic emissions of gases such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), unlike carbon dioxide (CO2), which is mainly addressed in the regulation of various activities.However, methane accumulates heat and radiation much more effectively, resulting in a greenhouse effect that is 28-30 times stronger than that of carbon dioxide, which serves as the basis for such calculations.At the same time, the share of methane in the CO2 equivalent of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in Ukraine in 2024 was 30.8%, which is twice the average for this gas in the European Union and makes up more than half of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions [2].The main source of methane emissions in Ukraine is the agricultural sector, especially livestock.Additionally, significant quantities of methane are produced in household waste landfills.The recently adopted Law of Ukraine "On the Basic Principles of State Climate Policy," dated 08.10.2024,establishes the legal and organisational foundations of the national climate policy.It primarily focuses on reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas