Climate and the Environment

Animal agriculture is one of the biggest contributors to some of the most pressing environmental issues in the world today.

Animal agriculture contributes to climate change, water pollution, and destruction of ecosystems. Intensive meat and dairy production are significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions, consume large quantities of freshwater, drive biodiversity loss, use vast stretches of land, and pollute our air, water, and soil.

Consider a few data points:

• If cattle were their own nation, they would be the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gasses.1
• Globally, an estimated 27 percent of the water “footprint” of humanity is attributable to meat and dairy production.2
• 30 percent of our planet’s total ice-free land is devoted to feeding or raising chickens, pigs and cattle.3
• Without meat and dairy consumption, global farmland use could be reduced by more than 75 percent—an area equivalent to the US, China, European Union and Australia combined—and still produce enough food to feed the world.4

“Regenerative agriculture” describes methods of animal farming that prioritize ecosystem health, but the term varies in meaning and can be misused by meat and dairy companies to greenwash unsustainable meat production. On an ultra-small scale, regenerative agriculture has the potential to mitigate many of the problems caused by intensive animal agriculture and could be part of a future without factory farms. For example, on farms where low densities of animals are raised alongside crops, the animals can roam outdoors, feed on plants or insects that might harm crop growth, and fertilize the soil with their manure. If we shifted away from intensive rearing of cattle in favor of regenerative systems, society’s levels of beef and dairy consumption would have to dramatically reduce. Even in regenerative systems, meat and dairy are the most climate intensive foods. Eating less meat and more plant-based foods is one of  the most effective ways individuals can reduce their impact on climate change.5 Read more to better understand the impact of intensive animal agriculture on the climate and the environment.