A scientist in the United States has questioned the impact meat and diary production has on climate change, and accused the United Nations of exaggerating the link. In 2006, a report published by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) titled “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” claimed meat production was responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas … Continue reading
Category Archives: Climate Change
Report: Climate impact of cutting back on cattle questioned
A report presented this week at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society suggests that despite claims to the contrary, eating less meat and dairy will not have much of a mitigating impact on climate change. That’s because in most developed countries, greenhouse gas emissions from livestock make up a small percentage of … Continue reading
Meat, dairy diet not tied to global warming
Forget all that indecorous talk of animal flatulence, cow burps, vegetarianism and global warming. Welcome to Cowgate. Lower consumption of meat and dairy products will not have a major impact in combating global warming — despite persistent claims that link such diets to more greenhouse gases. So says a report presented Monday before the American … Continue reading
UN body to look at meat and climate link
A 2006 report concluded meat production was responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions – more than transport. The report has been cited by people campaigning for a more vegetable-based diet, including Sir Paul McCartney. But a new analysis, presented at a major US science meeting, says the transport comparison was flawed. Sir Paul was … Continue reading
Eating less meat won’t curb climate change
Eating less meat will not reduce global warming, and reports that claim it will are distracting society from finding real ways to beat climate change, a leading air quality expert said on Monday. “We certainly can reduce our greenhouse gas production, but not by consuming less meat and milk,” Frank Mitloehner, an air quality expert … Continue reading
Climate change – Brazil: The threat posed by livestock
The livestock industry has less economic clout than the oil industry, but ranchers say it has better arguments to defend itself from accusations regarding its share of responsibility for global warming. The livestock industry represents 40 percent of agricultural production worldwide and provides a livelihood and food security to one billion people. The fact that … Continue reading
Livestock and global climate change
In May 2008, the British Society of Animal Science, INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique), the European Association for Animal Production, ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) and many other partners and sponsors, organised a conference on Livestock and Global Climate Change, held at Hammamet, Tunisia in May 2008. The … Continue reading
The effect of climate change on the occurrence and prevalence of livestock diseases in Great Britain
There is strong evidence to suggest that climate change has, and will continue to affect the occurrence, distribution and prevalence of livestock diseases in Great Britain (GB). This paper reviews how climate change could affect livestock diseases in GB. Factors influenced by climate change and that could affect livestock diseases include the molecular biology of … Continue reading
Animal husbandry in Africa: Climate change impacts and adaptations
A recent paper in the African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics uses a cross-sectional approach to analyze the impacts of climate change on animal husbandry and the way farmers adapt. The study is based on surveys of almost 5000 livestock farmers across ten countries in Africa. Using the Ricardian results and examining climate scenarios … Continue reading
Global dairy agenda for action on climate change
In September 2009, the worldwide dairy industry agreed the ‘Global Dairy Agenda for Action’ on climate change – a statement of commitment by the dairy supply chain to take action to address climate change. Alongside the agenda for action, a ‘Dairy Sustainability Website‘ has been set up to share best practices, promote environmentally focused initiatives … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 