Dubai, (EFE).- Beef farming emits 3.8 gigatonnes of CO₂ per year, which comprises 62% of the total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission of this sector into the atmosphere, according to data published this Friday by the FAO, which has used for the first time a new tool that evaluates the environmental impacts of livestock.
In a report presented today at COP28, held in Dubai, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) also estimates that, by 2050, demand for food from terrestrial animals will have grown by 20% , which, “without interventions or productivity increases” could raise emissions to 9.1 gigatonnes of CO₂.
40% of the total emission from agri-food systems
In 2015, emissions from livestock agri-food systems reached 6.2 gigatons, which represented 12% of GHG emissions of human origin, and 40% of the total emission from agri-food systems, estimated at 16 gigatons.
After the vaccine, pig farming is ranked, with 14% of GHG emissions, followed by poultry (9%), buffalo farming (8%), and small ruminants (7%), it is detailed. in the document.
By raw materials, meat production represents two-thirds of emissions, milk 30% and eggs the rest.
In general, explains the FAO, methane accounts for “slightly more than half of the total” emissions, and its spatial distribution closely follows the location of ruminant herds, “whose digestive systems produce methane from a diet of grasses that humans cannot digest.”
Pigs and chickens also emit emissions
For monogastric species, such as pigs and chickens, emissions come mainly from “feed production and manure management.”
These data reflected in the report come from the Global Livestock Environmental Assessment Model (GLEAM), a new tool promoted by FAO that “adds significant value and opportunities to support better analyzes of mitigation pathways.”
“Improving animal health, husbandry practices, reducing food loss and waste, and directly targeting GHG emissions have the potential to provide multiple benefits for people and the planet,” said the director. Deputy General of the FAO, María Helena Semedo.
The goal of the report is to allow the livestock sector to “contribute its part to efforts to limit the rise in global temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius.”
Farmer access to services
To maximize mitigation potential, the report notes the importance of “facilitating farmers’ access to services and investing in enabling their capacity to implement tailored interventions.”
Furthermore, FAO considers it important to “adapt to local circumstances and integrate into broader programs that support rural resilience and livelihoods, as well as other sustainability objectives.”
Some proven mitigation solutions, such as advanced breeding and feed mixtures, “including new feed additives (…) may not be suitable everywhere due to cost, safety and accessibility issues.”
“There is no universal solution and more work is needed to understand the barriers to implementing and scaling up these interventions,” says the FAO.
Continue reading: Expert points out the need for a new approach to livestock farming free of foot and mouth disease
2023-12-09 00:00:12
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