Rethinking Livestock: A Key Ally in the Climate Challenge – La Prealpina
The daily newspaper La Prealpina, a key voice of Northern Italy’s productive regions, featured my commentary on its front page. It challenged one of the most widespread and controversial narratives about climate change: the environmental impact of the livestock sector.
Read the full article on La Prealpina >>> or a summary here below.
Rethinking Livestock: A Key Ally in the Climate Challenge
In my commentary, I address the growing scrutiny of the livestock industry, often accused of being a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, allegedly surpassing the transport sector. This narrative originates from the 2006 FAO report “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” which presents a flawed methodological comparison: the livestock sector is assessed based on the entire production cycle, while transport emissions only account for tailpipe exhaust, neglecting upstream processes such as material production and energy use.
DON’T MISS IT: METHANE AND LIVESTOCK
The reality is starkly different. Livestock accounts for only 5.8% of global CO2-equivalent emissions, compared to the 78.4% attributed to fossil fuels, including emissions from industrial, residential, and transport sectors. Moreover, the biogenic methane produced by ruminants follows a natural, renewable cycle. Plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, ruminants convert plant cellulose into methane, and this methane breaks down into CO2 within 9–12 years, completing a zero-sum cycle without adding new carbon to the atmosphere. In contrast, fossil fuels release carbon accumulated over millions of years, adding a persistent burden to the atmosphere for centuries. Comparing biogenic methane to fossil methane is a methodological error that risks undermining a sector vital to global food security.
Despite its relatively minor contribution to global emissions, the livestock industry continues to innovate. Solutions such as feed additives to reduce methane emissions during digestion and technologies to capture methane from manure and convert it into energy highlight the sector’s potential as a climate resource. These advancements position livestock as crucial to a more balanced and sustainable future.
My call to action is clear: We must move beyond biases and ideologies by supporting innovation and promoting a deeper understanding of the livestock sector. Only then can we responsibly and effectively tackle the dual challenges of climate and food security? Livestock is not the problem – it’s part of the solution.
Rethinking Livestock: A Key Ally in the Climate Challenge – La Prealpina
