The Declaration on Livestock and Climate Change
Building on a 2006 UN Food and Agriculture Organization report entitled Livestock’s Long Shadow, the November/December 2009 issue of the World Watch journal published a cover article entitled “Livestock and Climate Change” by two World Bank Group environmental officers estimating that at least 51 percent of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) are attributable to livestock products. The FAO projects that present trends would lead to a doubling in livestock populations by 2050.
Many international environmental experts, including authors of a July 2010 report by the UN Environmental Program, propose that a reduction in livestock production and consumption is essential to achieve international GHG targets. No livestock or environmental experts have indicated that GHGs can be mitigated through technological improvements in livestock production at a level that would offset GHGs from the projected increase in livestock populations.
World Watch‘s “Livestock and Climate Change” proposes that a 25% reduction in livestock populations by 2017 could achieve practically the entire reduction in GHGs that was the generally-agreed objective of the December 2009 UN climate conference in Copenhagen. Such a shift promises additional benefits, including increasing the prospects for sustainability, substantially reversing global water, hunger, energy and other crises and reducing animal suffering.
To avoid the projected occurrence of irreversible climate disruption, it is urgent that governments develop and implement policies and procedures to reduce livestock populations by at least 25% by 2017. While such a shift is essential, many climate experts believe that it is urgent that additional reductions in livestock populations occur along with other positive changes, so that current GHGs are reduced by 50% and then by 80%, as soon as possible.
Recommendations for All Governments:
- Promptly phase out all direct and indirect government subsidies for livestock production, including support for animal feed crops.
- Promptly develop and implement measures to promote regeneration of forest on land presently used to graze livestock and grow feed crops.
- Promote and enact a protocol under UNFCCC to reduce livestock and feed-crop production.
- Promptly consider revenue-neutral taxes on livestock products and feed crops.
- Promptly dedicate public resources toward increasing public awareness of the need to reduce production and consumption of livestock products.
- Direct government programs to avoid livestock products in all government-supported procurement.
- Provide fiscal incentives for food producers to replace livestock products with better alternatives.
- Urge delegates to the UN Cancun climate conference to support steps to reduce livestock production and consumption.
As part of the efforts to build sustainable food communities, we call for governments to support and /or subsidize local produce farmers, food organizations, community garden projects, organic foods, and other efforts to a more plant-based diet. We also call upon corporations to practice social justice by supporting these projects and paying fair wages to their workers.
