more

Click here to sign up
for the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA.

Share the EXTRA



American Angus Association

American Angus Tag Store


Angus Productions Inc

Click here to learn more about Angus Productions Inc. and the resources it offers.

 

Certified Angus Beef

Click here to
learn about the
brand that pays.


Click here for a list of upcoming events



 

 


Angus Productions Inc.

 

April 20, 2010

Livestock Contribute 3%, Not 18%

New research shows errors in UN report linking meat to global warming.

New research shows that cutting back on consumption of meat and dairy products will not have a major impact in combating global warming. The research, conducted by University of California-Davis (UC-Davis) animal scientist Frank Mitloehner reveals major flaws in the 2006 United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report "Livestock's Long Shadow (LLS)," which claimed that meat production was responsible for more greenhouse-gas emissions (GHGs) than the transportation sector.

Mitloehner's report uncovered major inconsistencies in the way LLS calculated emissions from the livestock sector vs. the transportation sector. He notes that LLS produced its numbers for the livestock sector by adding up emissions from farm to table, including the gases produced by growing animal feed, animals' digestive emissions, and processing meat and milk into foods. But its transportation analysis did not similarly add up emissions from well to wheel; instead, it considered only emissions from fossil fuels burned while driving. Mitloehner calls it a classic case of an "apples-to-oranges" comparison.

According to TIME Magazine, Pierre Gerber, livestock officer at the FAO and one of the 2006 report's authors, admitted that the comparison was flawed: "It's a weakness that we were aware of the issue when we used it." Gerber says the FAO is currently engaged in a follow-up project to provide more details on the origin of those emissions.

Furthermore, while LLS claimed that 18% of anthropogenic GHGs are emitted from the world's livestock, recent estimates by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show that less than 3% of total anthropogenic GHG in the United States are associated with direct and indirect livestock emissions.

Mitloehner says producing less meat and milk will not solve global warming; it will only mean more hunger in poor countries.

"The developed world should focus on increasing efficient meat production in developing countries where growing populations need more nutritious food. In developing countries, we should adopt more efficient, Western-style farming practices to make more food with less greenhouse gas production," said Mitloehner (according to an American Chemical Society press release).





[Click here to go to the top of the page.]