Home / Environment / Livestock Boom Strains Planet, Fuels Climate Crisis
Livestock Boom Strains Planet, Fuels Climate Crisis
2 Jul
Summary
- Global farmed animal numbers rose by half in two decades.
- Cropland for animal feed increased by a quarter, consuming 90% of irrigation water.
- Livestock emissions grew by over a fifth due to population increase.
Worldwide farmed animal populations have expanded by half over the past two decades, significantly increasing pressure on natural ecosystems and exacerbating the climate crisis. Concurrently, agricultural land dedicated to growing animal feed has grown by about a quarter, with a staggering 90% of water used for irrigation directed towards feed production.
This trend occurs as global agricultural land faces degradation, with an area the size of Canada already impacted. Research indicates that even as greenhouse gas emissions per unit of meat have seen improvements, the substantial rise in the total number of farmed animals has outweighed these gains. Livestock emissions alone increased by more than a fifth between 2001 and 2023.
Furthermore, increased fertilizer use and slurry disposal from feed production are contributing to marine dead zones, such as the vast area in the Gulf of Mexico. Experts suggest that a global shift away from meat-heavy diets is essential to reverse environmental damage. There is a call for publicly funded development banks to cease financing factory farming and redirect investments towards more sustainable practices.
