Aren’t there some reports suggesting the livestock industry contributes 18 percent of the world’s carbon emissions?
A 2006 report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on global emissions from livestock estimates that livestock are responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. However, this figure fails to set a proper context for GHG emissions in the U.S. dairy industry for several reasons: it represents a combination of both dairy and beef production; U.S. animal agriculture production has become very efficient, emitting lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than the global average; and the FAO attributed fully half of its 18 percent livestock emissions estimate to deforestation but there is no deforestation in connection with U.S. dairy operations. For specific information on the report, contact the UN/FAO.
