Meat

May 08, 2024

I have come across several articles recently about meat production and the effect on greenhouse gases.  The controversy seemed to start in 2013 when the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimated that livestock production accounted for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.  While the analysis was based on studies over 20 years ago (from 2004 and 2005) it is still the most widely cited estimate of livestock’s global carbon footprint.  A CNN article in 2023 noted “livestock farming accounts for 14.5% of human-caused, planet-warming emissions.”  More recent data indicate livestock may contribute a much wider range of emissions, and potentially more, or potentially less.  The FAO has released a new, lower estimate that livestock produces 11.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions.  Peer-reviewed studies have put the figure higher, at up to 19.6% of emissions.  Whether the true carbon footprint is higher or lower, reducing livestock emissions would clearly provide even larger climate benefits than previously assumed.  These studies and articles got me thinking about the meat I eat and the impact my choices have on my own carbon footprint.

When I looked online, I found there are six sources of greenhouse gas emissions associated with livestock production.  Enteric fermentation is the regular digestive process of cattle and sheep (ruminants) and produces methane.  Over 90% of enteric methane from cattle is emitted through burping and it is the largest source of livestock emissions.  The solid waste of animals produces both methane and nitrous oxide.  Manufacturing fertilizers and other farm amendments produce carbon dioxide, fertilizing crops create nitrous oxide, and there are small amounts of emissions related to transporting and processing feed.  Expansion of pasture for grazing animals and cropland for growing feed crops results in conversion of forest, grassland, and other land, which emits the carbon dioxide stores in biomass and soils.  Energy is used to produce farm amendments and feed, but directly used in animal production for ventilation, cooling, and other activities.  Emissions related to slaughtering livestock and processing and packing the meat for consumers extend beyond the farm, and while it is not a key component of raising livestock it is included in most global estimates.

Global production of (all) food is responsible for a third of all planet-heating gases emitted by human activity, with production of animals for meat causing twice the pollution of producing plant-based foods.  The entire system of food production (the use of farm machinery, spraying of fertilizer, transportation of products) causes 19 billion tons (17.3bn metric tons) of greenhouse gases a year.  This is more than double the entire greenhouse emissions of the US and represents 35% of all global emissions.  The raising and culling of animals for meat is far worse for the climate than growing and processing fruits and vegetables for people to eat, confirming previous findings on the outsized impact that meat production has on the environment.  The use of cows, pigs, and other animals for food (and their feed) is responsible for 57% of all food production emissions, with 29% coming from the cultivation of plant-based foods.  The rest comes from other land uses, like cotton or rubber.  Beef alone accounts for a quarter of emissions produced by raising and growing food for people.

THOUGHTS:  While I am not willing to become a vegetarian, I have made decisions to cut back on the type of meat I eat.  In my 20’s I decided to not eat streak.  Even living in Kansas, it was as easy decision as I never acquired the taste and could not afford the good cuts on my salary.  Now I am trying to cut back on cattle products.  This is harder as I do enjoy hamburgers and I tend to live on cheese.  We have switched to ground chicken or turkey and found when seasoned correctly it is hard to detect in most dishes.  Still, there is that occasional cheeseburger.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.