The bad news is this will not happen under a business-as-usual scenario

Apr 25, 2014 12:09 GMT  ·  By
Researchers urge that measures be implemented to reduce the ecological footpring of global agriculture
   Researchers urge that measures be implemented to reduce the ecological footpring of global agriculture

According to a new Climate Focus and California Environmental Associates report, yearly carbon emissions originating from global agriculture could be reduced by as much as 50-90% by 2030. The only bad news is that this is not going to happen under a business-as-usual scenario.

In their report, Climate Focus and California Environmental Associates specialists outline several strategies that they say would prove surprisingly efficient in terms of improving on the ecological footprint of global agriculture.

The researchers say that, since livestock, especially cows, sheep, and other grazing animals, accounts for as much as 70% of the direct greenhouse gas emissions that agricultural practices produce on a yearly basis, reducing meat consumption would be a great start.

More precisely, it is argued that both the United States and China should try and curb beef demand. This is because the first of these two countries is now the world's biggest consumer of red meat, whereas the latter is becoming surprisingly fond of beef quite rapidly.

“Because China already has a climate-friendly diet and hasn't yet embraced beef, it's still possible to discourage the consumption of more beef without changing the country's traditional beliefs and culture,” study co-author Amy Dickie said in a statement.

“Steering the Chinese diet in a more climate-friendly direction would yield enormous benefits for the country's health and food security – as well as the global climate,” California Environmental Associates researcher added, as cited by EurekAlert.

The good news is that, although the United States is now the world's biggest consumer of red meat, the country appears to be taking steps in the right direction. Thus, per capita beef consumption in this part of the world it said to have dropped from 88.8 pounds (40.2 kilograms) in 1976 to 58.7 pounds (26.6 kilograms) in 2009.

The specialists behind the Climate Focus and California Environmental Associates report further explain that food waste is another problem that need be solved sooner rather than later. Apparently, some 30-40% of the food that is produced on a global scale gets lost while making its way along the supply chain.

This is due to improper production, unsuitable storage, and inefficient distribution and consumption practices. Should these issues be dealt with, food waste would be reduced and, consequently, agricultural greenhouse gas emissions would also drop.

By the looks of it, curbing beef consumption and promoting other types of meat instead can also help limit climate change and global warming. This is because, unlike other animals, cows use up quite a lot of resources and also release harmful compounds whenever they burp or pass gas.

“There's no way around it. Cows are incredibly inefficient food sources. They eat an enormous amount of feed and require a lot of land and water resources. Pigs, chickens and sustainably caught or raised fish, not to mention non-meat proteins are so much better for the climate—and healthier for people as well,” explained Dr. Charlotte Streck of Climate Focus.

Specialists say that, in order to improve on the ecological footprint of global agriculture, human society must also try and boost productivity. The end goal is to eliminate the need to cut down forests to obtain new land for food production and thus upset natural ecosystems.

“By reducing the climate impact of the food we eat, we can improve our health and the health of the planet. By making the way we produce food more efficient, farmers can reap the benefits of increased production while decreasing the environmental impacts of farming.”

“The energy and transport sectors have seen a significant growth in innovation needed to ensure the long term sustainability of the sectors. It is time that agriculture followed,” Dr. Charlotte Streck of Climate Focus wished to stress.