2023 Author: Bryan Walter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 22:24
Livestock farming in Africa and South America is not too dangerous in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the main factor of its impact on the environment is land degradation. At the same time, reducing the amount of meat products in the diet or completely eliminating them around the world is unlikely to solve the climate problem, the most promising way to reduce emissions is the widespread introduction of sustainable livestock farming methods. Scientists came to such conclusions after analyzing publications on animal husbandry over the past 70 years and interviewing 260 experts in this field around the world. The article was published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
The meat diet first began to be criticized in the context of its impact on the climate in 2006, when the famous FAO report "The Long Shadow of Livestock" was published. Its authors noted that animal husbandry makes a large contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, leads to unsustainable land use, land degradation and loss of biodiversity. However, their estimates relied heavily on industrial livestock production, which is relevant to developed countries, and ignored the positive role that agriculture plays in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, South America and Southeast Asia.
Scientists led by Birthe K Paul of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture in Kenya set out to find out how climate criticism of livestock is valid for middle- and low-income countries. To do this, they analyzed scientific articles in the Web of Science database on livestock from 1948 to 2018, and conducted an expert survey with the participation of 260 experts in this field, working in various regions of the world.
It turned out that animal husbandry in developing countries remains poorly studied in comparison with developed countries. For example, Africa has only been affected by 12.7 percent of publications since 1948, but the mainland is home to 32 percent of the world's goat population, 27 percent of sheep and 20 percent of cattle. Also, 8 of the top 10 animal research organizations are located in the United States, France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, with only two headquartered in Africa.
Findings from a survey of livestock experts with 260 respondents from research, policy and practice in the livestock industry around the world. Figure (a) shows the leading environmental impacts as estimated by experts working there, figure (b) shows the most promising solutions to reduce the environmental impact of livestock production, and figure (c) shows the most promising methods of sustainable livestock production.
Findings from a survey of livestock experts with 260 respondents from research, policy and practice in the livestock industry around the world. Figure (a) shows the leading environmental impacts as estimated by experts working there, figure (b) shows the most promising solutions to reduce the environmental impact of livestock production, and figure (c) shows the most promising methods of sustainable livestock production.
A survey of scientists who conduct research in America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania showed that animal husbandry in these regions affects the environment in different ways. For example, in Europe, experts named greenhouse gas emissions as the main factor of this impact, and put water pollution in second place. In Africa and South America, land degradation turned out to be the leading factor. Also, 63 percent of the experts interviewed said that the most promising method of reducing the impact of animal husbandry on the environment is not at all refusing and reducing the amount of meat products in the diet, but the widespread introduction of sustainable livestock methods. Among them, scientists listed managed grazing, improving forage (that is, refusing to import forage, the use of which inevitably leads to disruption of biogeochemical cycles of nutrients), as well as the creation and maintenance of forest-pasture systems.
Previously, scientists found out how the prices for agricultural products in Germany will change if climatic externalities are included in their cost, that is, the impact on the climate due to carbon dioxide emissions at all stages of production is taken into account. It turned out that organic vegetables will rise in price by only six percent, and non-organic meat - by 146 percent.
