United Nations report
Livestock's Long Shadow
|
Author
| Henning Steinfeld, Pierre Gerber, Tom Wassenaar, Vincent Castel, Mauricio Rosales, Cees de Haan.
|
---|
Language
| English
|
---|
Genre
| Agriculture
Environment
|
---|
Publisher
| Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
|
---|
Publication date
| 2006
|
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Media type
| book
website
|
---|
Pages
| 390 pp
|
---|
ISBN
| 92-5-105571-8
|
---|
OCLC
| 77563364
|
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LC Class
| SF140.E25 S744 2006
|
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Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options
is a
United Nations
report, released by the
Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) of the United Nations on 29 November 2006,
[1]
that "aims to assess the full impact of the
livestock
sector on environmental problems, along with potential technical and policy approaches to mitigation".
[1]
It stated that livestock accounts for 18% of anthropogenic
greenhouse gas emissions
, a figure which FAO changed to 14.5% in its 2013 study
Tackling climate change through livestock
.
Report
[
edit
]
Livestock's Long Shadow
is an assessment of research, taking into account direct impacts of livestock production, along with the impacts of feed crop cultivation. The report states that the
livestock
sector is one of the top two or three most significant contributors to serious environmental problems. The findings of this report suggest that it should be a major policy focus when dealing with problems of
land degradation
,
climate change
and
air pollution
,
water shortage
and
water pollution
, and
loss of biodiversity
.
Senior author Henning Steinfeld stated that livestock are "one of the most significant contributors to today's most serious environmental problems" and that "urgent action is required to remedy the situation."
[2]
Following a
life-cycle analysis
approach, the report evaluates "that livestock are responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions."
[3]
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
arise from feed production (e.g. chemical
fertilizer
production,
deforestation
for
pasture
and
feed crops
, cultivation of feed crops, feed transport and
soil erosion
), animal production (e.g.
enteric fermentation
and
methane
and
nitrous oxide
emissions from
manure
) and as a result of the transportation of animal products. Following this approach the report estimates that livestock "is responsible for 18 percent" of total
anthropogenic
carbon dioxide emissions
,
[4]
but 37% of methane and 65% of nitrous oxide emissions
[
citation needed
]
. The main sources of emissions were found to be:
- Land use and
land use change
: 2.5 Gigatonnes
carbon dioxide equivalent
; including forest and other natural vegetation replaced by pasture and feed crop in the Neotropics (CO
2
) and carbon release from soils such as pasture and arable land dedicated to feed production (CO
2
)
- Feed Production (except carbon released from soil): 0.4 Gigatonnes CO
2
equivalent, including fossil fuel used in manufacturing chemical fertilizer for feed crops (CO
2
) and chemical fertilizer application on feed crops and
leguminous
feed crop (N
2
O, NH
3
)
- Animal production: 1.9 Gigatonnes CO
2
equivalent, including enteric fermentation from
ruminants
(CH
4
) and on-farm fossil fuel use (CO
2
)
- Manure Management: 2.2 Gigatonnes CO
2
equivalent, mainly through manure storage, application and deposition (CH
4
, N
2
O, NH
3
)
- Processing and international transport: 0.03 Gigatonnes CO
2
equivalent
Controversy
[
edit
]
A 2009 article in the
Worldwatch Institute
magazine by authors Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang, then employed at the World Bank, claimed that the FAO report was too conservative and that livestock sector accounts for much more of global GHG emissions, at least 51%, taking into account animal respiration and photosynthetic capacity of the land used for feeding and housing livestock.
[5]
[6]
A 2011 response to this was published by FAO and an international coalition of scientists, discrediting the magazine article and upholding the 2006 assessment.
[7]
[8]
But this response was fully answered back in the journal
Animal Feed Science and Technology
(
AFST
), and they reiterated their estimate while FAO scientists declined to continue the debate despite
AFST
's Editor's invitation.
[9]
In 2013 FAO publicly partnered with
International Meat Secretariat
and the
International Dairy Federation
[10]
and many of the same authors of the first report published a subsequent (2013) study for the FAO, revising their estimate of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions due to livestock downward to 14.5%
[11]
[12]
without addressing any of the alleged errors pointed out in Goodland and Anhang's report or in the ensuing peer-reviewed debate.
The results of
Livestock's Long Shadow
had an error in methodology as the authors only evaluated the tailpipe emissions of cars, while for meat production a comprehensive
life-cycle assessment
was used to calculate livestock's green house gas effect
[
citation needed
]
. This underestimated transportation therefore inflating meat productions contribution. This issue was raised by Dr. Frank Mitloehner from the
University of California, Davis
. In an interview with BBC Pierre Gerber, one of the authors of
Livestock's Long Shadow
, accepted Mitloehner's criticism. "I must say honestly that he has a point - we factored in everything for meat emissions, and we didn't do the same thing with transport, we just used the figure from the IPCC..." he said.
[13]
However, this information was the inspiration behind movements such as "Meatless Monday"
[14]
Mitloehner is the author of a 2009 study on the topic of livestock and climate change.
[15]
Five percent of the funds for said study were provided by the livestock industry, according to a press release by Mitloehner's university.
[16]
[17]
FAO cites him as a representative of the
International Feed Industry Federation
,
[18]
whose "vision is to provide a unified voice and leadership to represent and promote the global feed industry as an essential participant in the food chain that provides sustainable, safe, nutritious and affordable food for a growing world population."
[19]
Between 2002 and 2021 Mitloehner and his research center received $12.5 million in funding from industry groups. 2019 they coordinated efforts to discredit the
EAT Lancet
report. Later they led the campaign #yes2meat on social media.
[20]
References to the report
[
edit
]
The report was the main scientific source
[
citation needed
]
for the documentary
Meat The Truth
, narrated by
Marianne Thieme
(2007).
[21]
It was frequently cited in the documentary
Cowspiracy
(2014).
[22]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Henning Steinfeld; Pierre Gerber; Tom Wassenaar; Vincent Castel; Mauricio Rosales; Cees de Haan (2006).
Livestock's long shadow
(PDF)
(Report).
FAO
.
ISBN
978-92-5-105571-7
. Retrieved
27 September
2019
.
- ^
"Livestock a major threat to environment"
.
Fao.org
. Archived from
the original
on 28 March 2008
. Retrieved
16 August
2018
.
- ^
FAO Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department (2006).
"Livestock impacts on the environment"
(PDF)
.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2017-08-12
. Retrieved
October 25,
2016
.
- ^
Livestock's long shadow: environmental issues and options
. Steinfeld, Henning., Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations., Livestock, Environment and Development (Firm). Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2006. p. xxi.
ISBN
978-92-5-105571-7
.
OCLC
77563364
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: others (
link
)
- ^
MacKay, Fiona (2009-11-16).
"Looking for a Solution to Cows' Climate Problem"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
16 August
2018
.
- ^
Goodland, Robert; Anhang, Jeff (Nov?Dec 2009).
"Livestock and Climate Change: What if the key actors in climate change were pigs, chickens and cows?"
(PDF)
.
Worldwatch Magazine
. Worldwatch Institute. pp. 10?19.
S2CID
27218645
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2019-10-01
. Retrieved
1 October
2019
.
- ^
"Livestock and climate change: Towards credible figures"
.
Ilri.org
. Archived from
the original
on 17 August 2018
. Retrieved
16 August
2018
.
- ^
Herrero, M.; Gerber, P.; Vellinga, T.; Garnett, T.; Leip, A.; Opio, C.; Westhoek, H.J.; Thornton, P.K.; Olesen, J.; Hutchings, N.; Montgomery, H.; Soussana, J.-F.; Steinfeld, H.; McAllister, T.A. (2011).
"Livestock and greenhouse gas emissions: The importance of getting the numbers right"
(PDF)
.
Animal Feed Science and Technology
. 166?167: 779?782.
doi
:
10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2011.04.083
.
hdl
:
10568/3910
. Retrieved
3 October
2019
.
- ^
Goodland, Robert; Anhang, Jeff (2012).
"Comment to the editor. Livestock and greenhouse gas emissions: The importance of getting the numbers right by Herrero et al"
.
Animal Feed Science and Technology
. 166?167: 779?782.
doi
:
10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2011.04.083
.
hdl
:
10568/3910
.
- ^
Goodland, Robert (2012-07-11).
"FAO Yields to Meat Industry Pressure on Climate Change"
.
Mark Bittman Blog,
New York Times
. Retrieved
2021-02-28
.
- ^
"Tackling climate change through livestock // FAO's Animal Production and Health Division"
.
Fao.org
. Retrieved
16 August
2018
.
- ^
Gerber, P.J.; Steinfeld, H.; Henderson, B.; Mottet, A.; Opio, C.; Dijkman, J.; Falcucci, A.; Tempio, G. (2013).
Tackling climate change through livestock ? A global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities
(PDF)
(Report). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). pp. 1?139.
ISBN
978-92-5-107921-8
. Retrieved
3 October
2019
.
- ^
"UN body to look at meat and climate link"
. 2010-03-24.
- ^
"Meat Free Monday Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary with #MFMCountMeIn Campaign"
.
The Monday Campaigns
. 2019-04-20
. Retrieved
2021-10-26
.
- ^
Pitesky, Maurice E.; Stackhouse, Kimberly R.; Mitloehner, Frank M. (2009-01-01), Sparks, Donald L. (ed.),
Chapter 1 - Clearing the Air: Livestock's Contribution to Climate Change
, Advances in Agronomy, vol. 103, Academic Press, pp. 1?40,
doi
:
10.1016/S0065-2113(09)03001-6
, retrieved
2020-06-19
- ^
Hickman, Leo (2010-03-24).
"Do critics of UN meat report have a beef with transparency? | Leo Hickman"
.
The Guardian
.
ISSN
0261-3077
. Retrieved
2020-06-19
.
- ^
"Don't Blame Cows for Climate Change"
.
UC Davis
. 2009-12-07
. Retrieved
2020-06-19
.
- ^
"Members of Steering Committee| Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance (LEAP) Partnership| Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations"
.
www.fao.org
. Retrieved
2020-06-19
.
- ^
"International Feed Industry Federation ? IFIF Vision & Mission"
.
ifif.org
. Retrieved
2020-06-19
.
- ^
Carlile, Clare (2024-03-01).
"Meat Industry Using 'Misinformation' to Block Dietary Change, Report Finds"
.
DeSmog
. Retrieved
2024-03-06
.
- ^
Global Warming: Meat The Truth
. GlobeTransformer.org.
- ^
"Cowspiracy: The Facts"
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