Animal Agriculture and Climate Change

Jack Matyus

Animal Agriculture

• Domestication throughout history

• Population and industrialisation

• Increase efficiency and cheaper meat

Animal Agriculture

UNEP GEAS (2012)

Image: FAO (2012), UNEP GEAS (2012)

Animal Agriculture

UNEP GEAS (2012), Delgada et al. (2001)

Image: FOA (2012), UNEP GEAS (2012)

Animal Agriculture

UNEP GEAS (2012), Delgada et al. (2001), WRI (2005)

Image: FOA (2012), UNEP GEAS (2012)

Animal Agriculture

• Expected population of 9 billion by 2050

• Meat consumption increase

• 450 million tonnes in 2050 (65% increase from 2000)

UNEP GEAS (2012), FOA (2012), Steinfeld et al. (2006)

Why is this significant?

Climate Change

• Industrialisation and size of the industry

• Pollution, deforestation, desertification and overuse of freshwater

• Greenhouse gases and climate change

UNEP GEAS (2012), Steinfeld et al. (2006), WRI (2005)

Climate Change

• Estimated 10-35% GHG emissions due to agriculture

• Near 80% of those emissions due to animal agriculture

• Deforestation, land use, indirect factors

UNEP GEAS (2012), Denman et al. (2007), EPA (2006), McMichael (2007), Stern (2006), Steinfeld et al. (2006)

Climate Change

UNEP GEAS (2012), Denman et al. (2007), EPA (2006), McMichael (2007), Stern (2006), Steinfeld et al. (2006), WRI (2005)

Image: WRI (2005)

Climate Change

UNEP GEAS (2012)

Image: EPA (2006), O’Mara (2011)

• Cattle have largest impact

• 1.43 billion cattle (2010); 33% Asia, 25% S. America, 20% Africa

Solutions?

• Income likely to continue to increase

• Especially in fastest growing regions – Asia, Africa

• Higher demand, higher emissions

O’Mara (2011)

Solutions

• Change diet of livestock, reduce methane

• Ruminal pH and microbiota

• Lipid supplementation – reduction in methane production

UNEP GEAS (2012), Lesschen et al. (2011), Hook et al. (2010), Boadi et al. (2004)

Solutions

• Change diet of livestock, increase productivity

• More methane with more product

• Methane per unit of product low

UNEP GEAS (2012), Lesschen et al. (2011), Hook et al. (2010), Boadi et al. (2004)

Solutions

• Reduce livestock

• Alternatives

• Lower demand and affects the industry

• Public opinion and behaviour

UNEP GEAS (2012), McMichael et al. (2007), Carlsson-Kanyama and González (2009), Lesschen et al. (2011), Barclay (2012)

Solutions

• Alternate livestock, less methane

• Pigs instead of cows?

• Insects

UNEP GEAS (2012), McMichael et al. (2007), Carlsson-Kanyama and González (2009), Lesschen et al. (2011), Barclay (2012)

Conclusion

Image: FAO (2012), UNEP GEAS (2012)

ReferencesUNEP GEAS (2012) Growing greenhouse gas emissions due to meat production [PDF] UNEP GEAS. Available from: http://www.unep.org/pdf/unep-geas_oct_2012.pdf [06/03/2014]

Delgado, C., Rosegrant, M., Steinfeld, H., Ehui, S., and Courbois, C. (2001) Livestock to 2020: the next food revolution. Outlook on Agriculture, 30(1), pp. 27-19

WRI (2005) Navigating the numbers: Greenhouse Gas Data and International Climate Policy [PDF] WRI. Available from: http://pdf.wri.org/navigating_numbers.pdf [06/03/2014]

Steinfeld, H., Gerber, P., Wassenaar, T., Castel, V., Rosales, M. and de Haan, C. (2006) Livestock’s long shadow: Environmental issues and options. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy

Denman, K.L., Brasseur, G., Chidthaisong, A., Ciais, P., Cox, P.M., Dickinson, R.E., Hauglustaine, D., Heinze, C., Holland, E., Jacob, D., Lohmann, U., Ramachandran, S., da Silva Dias, P.L., Wofsy, S.C., Zhang, X. (2007) Couplings between changes in the climate system and biogeochemistry. In: Solomon, S., Qin, D., Manning, M., Chen, Z., Marquis, M., Averyt, K.B., Tignor, M., Miller, H.L. (Eds.), Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA, pp. 499–587

McMichael, A.J., Powles, J.W., Butler, C.D. and Uauy, R. (2007) Food, livestock production, energy, climate change, and health. Lancet 370, pp. 1253–1263

Stern, N. (2006). The economics of climate change: the Stern review. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006

O’Mara, F.P. (2011) The significance of livestock as a contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions today and in the near future. Animal Feed Science and Technology, pp. 166-167, 7-15

ReferencesLesschen, J.P., van den Berg, M., Westhoek, H.J., Witzke, H.P., Oenema, O. (2011) Greenhouse gas emission profiles of European livestock sectors. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 166-167, pp. 16-28

Hook, S., Wright, A.D.G., and McBride, B.W. (2010) Methanogens: Methane Producers of the Rumen and Mitigation Strategies, Archae, 2010, pp. 1-11

Boadi, D., Benchaar, C., Chiquette, J., and Masse, D. (2004) Mitigation strategies to reduce enteric methane emissions from dairy cows: Update review. Canadian Journal of Animal Science, 84, pp. 319-335

Carlsson-Kanyama, A., González, A. D. (2009). Potential contributions of food consumption patterns to climate change. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2009, 89

Barclay, J. M.G. (2012). Meat, a damaging extravagence: a response to Grumett and Gorringe. The Expository Times, 123(2), pp. 70-73

Questions?