UN ‘exaggerated’ meat impact on climate change

A 2006 UN report published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation claimed meat production was responsible for 18 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The report, titled ‘Livestock’s Long Shadow’, added agriculture had a greater impact on global warming than transport.

Those figures have since been on the front-line of environmental campaigns to cut meat and dairy consumption, including Paul McCartney’s high profile meat-free Monday campaign.

But Professor Frank Mitloehner, an air quality specialist from the University of California at Davis (UCD), said agriculture’s impact had been exaggerated.

He said Paul McCartney and others were ‘well-intentioned but not well-schooled’ in the topic.

“Smarter animal farming, not less farming, will equal less heat,” Prof Mitloehner said on the UCD website.

“Producing less meat and milk will only mean more hunger in poor countries.”

He added developing countries should adopt more efficient, Western-style farming practices, to make more food with less greenhouse gas production.

Prof Mitloehner also criticised the UN’s claim on transport.

He said the UN figures totted up emissions from farm to table – including the impact of growing the feed, from livestock and from processing.

However, transport emissions only considered emissions from fossil fuels burned while driving.   

“This lopsided ‘analysis’ is a classical apples-and-oranges analogy that truly confused the issue,” Prof Mitloehner said.

He said leading authorities in the US agreed raising cattle and pigs for food accounted for about 3 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, while transportation created an estimated 26 percent.

“We certainly can reduce our greenhouse-gas production, but not by consuming less meat and milk.

“Rather, in developed countries, we should focus on cutting our use of oil and coal for electricity, heating and vehicle fuels,” he said.

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