2 ms·

I'm very much a layman when it comes to this area, but I once read that livestock emissions are exaggerated when it comes to climate change. I.e. it's true they

I'm very much a layman when it comes to this area, but I once read that livestock emissions are exaggerated when it comes to climate change. I.e. it's true they account for a large amount of emissions, but that the missions aren't as harmful as was previously thought. Is there truth to that, or was it just hearsay? For example: https://theconversation.com/yes-eating-meat-affects-the-environment-but-cows-are-not-killing-the-climate-94968 https://theconversation.com/yes-eating-meat-affects-the-envi... > Why the misconception? In 2006 the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization published a study titled “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” which received widespread international attention. It stated that livestock produced a staggering 18 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The agency drew a startling conclusion: Livestock was doing more to harm the climate than all modes of transportation combined. This latter claim was wrong, [...]

hrayn3 4y ago
Also a layman but my understanding is the issue is 'percent of emissions' part of the fact. The emissions are methane, which are 'worse' than CO2 - so some statistics normalize for this and result in a high % of emissions. I think it's semantics and bad-faith actors use the wording that helps them the most, which muddies the waters.
- boppo1 4y ago
  >muddies the waters. Yeah, I'm not a climate change skeptic but I've basically become skeptical of any claim I read about it now. One of these days I'll actually read the IPCC report so I can hopefully sift through the claims myself.
RGamma 4y ago
In any case, meat production's externalities go far beyond direct emissions. > Half of all habitable land is used for agriculture. [...] > There is also a highly unequal distribution of land use between livestock and crops for human consumption. If we combine pastures used for grazing with land used to grow crops for animal feed, livestock accounts for 77% of global farming land. While livestock takes up most of the world’s agricultural land it only produces 18% of the world’s calories and 37% of total protein. https://ourworldindata.org/land-use https://ourworldindata.org/land-use

hrayn3 4y ago

Also a layman but my understanding is the issue is 'percent of emissions' part of the fact. The emissions are methane, which are 'worse' than CO2 - so some statistics normalize for this and result in a high % of emissions. I think it's semantics and bad-faith actors use the wording that helps them the most, which muddies the waters.

boppo1 4y ago
>muddies the waters. Yeah, I'm not a climate change skeptic but I've basically become skeptical of any claim I read about it now. One of these days I'll actually read the IPCC report so I can hopefully sift through the claims myself.

RGamma 4y ago

In any case, meat production's externalities go far beyond direct emissions. > Half of all habitable land is used for agriculture. [...] > There is also a highly unequal distribution of land use between livestock and crops for human consumption. If we combine pastures used for grazing with land used to grow crops for animal feed, livestock accounts for 77% of global farming land. While livestock takes up most of the world’s agricultural land it only produces 18% of the world’s calories and 37% of total protein. https://ourworldindata.org/land-use https://ourworldindata.org/land-use