Abstract

Greenhouse gas conventions and metrics have powerful framing effects, significantly under-reporting emissions and obscuring the impact of shorter-lived emissions. This interdisciplinary Australian case study re-calculates emissions to include short lived gases and use 20 year Global Warming Potentials (GWPs), a timeframe relevant to averting catastrophic change. Australia’s annual emissions more than double when compared to the national inventory, with agriculture producing 54% of the national total. Ruminant livestock emerge as a transformative mitigation opportunity. While success in rapid cuts could revitalise other mitigation efforts, it would require demand-led change and significant producer adaptation. Most siloed analyses neglect such flow-on effects.