[USCC] Fwd: Worldwide Livestock Production Generates more Greenhouse Gas Emissions that the Transport Sector, according to a new report released on November 29 by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization

[Jim McNelly]

>
>
>*   Worldwide Livestock Production Generates 
>more Greenhouse Gas Emissions that the Transport 
>Sector, according to a new report released on 
>November 29 by the United Nations Food and 
>Agriculture Organization, titled "Livestock’s 
>long shadow; Environmental issues and options" - 
>In an accompanying news release, titled 
>"Livestock a major threat to environment; 
>Remedies urgently needed," FAO notes that " ... 
>the livestock sector generates more greenhouse 
>gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent – 18 
>percent – than transport. It is also a major 
>source of land and water degradation ... With 
>increased prosperity, people are consuming more 
>meat and dairy products every year. Global meat 
>production is projected to more than double from 
>229 million tonnes in 1999/2001 to 465 million 
>tonnes in 2050, while milk output is set to 
>climb from 580 to 1043 million tonnes ... The 
>global livestock sector is growing faster than 
>any other agricultural sub-sector. It provides 
>livelihoods to about 1.3 billion people and 
>contributes about 40 percent to global 
>agricultural output. For many poor farmers in 
>developing countries livestock are also a source 
>of renewable energy for draft and an essential 
>source of organic fertilizer for their crops ... 
>When emissions from land use and land use change 
>are included, the livestock sector accounts for 
>9 percent of CO2 deriving from human-related 
>activities, but produces a much larger share of 
>even more harmful greenhouse gases. It generates 
>65 percent of human-related nitrous oxide, which 
>has 296 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) 
>of CO2. Most of this comes from manure. And it 
>accounts for respectively 37 percent of all 
>human-induced methane (23 times as warming as 
>CO2), which is largely produced by the digestive 
>system of ruminants, and 64 percent of ammonia, 
>which contributes significantly to acid rain. 
>Livestock now use 30 percent of the earth’s 
>entire land surface, mostly permanent pasture 
>but also including 33 percent of the global 
>arable land used to producing feed for 
>livestock, the report notes. As forests are 
>cleared to create new pastures, it is a major 
>driver of deforestation, especially in Latin 
>America where, for example, some 70 percent of 
>former forests in the Amazon have been turned 
>over to grazing ... At the same time herds cause 
>wide-scale land degradation, with about 20 
>percent of pastures considered as degraded 
>through overgrazing, compaction and erosion. 
>This figure is even higher in the drylands where 
>inappropriate policies and inadequate livestock 
>management contribute to advancing 
>desertification. The livestock business is among 
>the most damaging sectors to the earth’s 
>increasingly scarce water resources, 
>contributing among other things to water 
>pollution, euthropication and the degeneration 
>of coral reefs. The major polluting agents are 
>animal wastes, antibiotics and hormones, 
>chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers and the 
>pesticides used to spray feed crops. Widespread 
>overgrazing disturbs water cycles, reducing 
>replenishment of above and below ground water 
>resources ... The report, which was produced 
>with the support of the multi-institutional 
>Livestock, Environment and Development (LEAD) 
>Initiative, proposes explicitly to consider 
>these environmental costs and suggests a number 
>of ways of remedying the situation, including: 
>Land degradation – controlling access and 
>removing obstacles to mobility on common 
>pastures. Use of soil conservation methods and 
>silvopastoralism, together with controlled 
>livestock exclusion from sensitive areas; 
>payment schemes for environmental services in 
>livestock-based land use to help reduce and 
>reverse land degradation; Atmosphere and climate 
>– increasing the efficiency of livestock 
>production and feed crop agriculture. Improving 
>animals’ diets to reduce enteric fermentation 
>and consequent methane emissions, and setting up 
>biogas plant initiatives to recycle manure; 
>Water – improving the efficiency of irrigation 
>systems. Introducing full-cost pricing for water 
>together with taxes to discourage large-scale 
>livestock concentration close to cities. These 
>and related questions are the focus of 
>discussions between FAO and its partners meeting 
>to chart the way forward for livestock 
>production at global consultations in Bangkok 
>this week. These discussions also include the 
>substantial public health risks related to the 
>rapid livestock sector growth as, increasingly, 
>animal diseases also affect humans; rapid 
>livestock sector growth can also lead to the 
>exclusion of smallholders from growing markets 
>..." - The complete text of the news release is 
>posted at 
><http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html>http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html 
>- The report is posted at 
><http://www.virtualcentre.org/en/frame.htm>http://www.virtualcentre.org/en/frame.htm 
>specifically at 
><http://www.virtualcentre.org/en/library/key_pub/longshad/A0701E00.htm>http://www.virtualcentre.org/en/library/key_pub/longshad/A0701E00.htm 
>
>
>http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html
>
>Livestock a major threat to environment
>
>Remedies urgently needed
>
>29 November 2006, Rome - Which causes more 
>greenhouse gas emissions, rearing cattle or driving cars?
>
>Surprise!
>
>According to a new report published by the 
>United Nations Food and Agriculture 
>Organization, the livestock sector generates 
>more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 
>equivalent – 18 percent – than transport. It is 
>also a major source of land and water degradation.
>
>Says Henning Steinfeld, Chief of FAO’s Livestock 
>Information and Policy Branch and senior author 
>of the report: “Livestock are one of the most 
>significant contributors to today’s most serious 
>environmental problems. Urgent action is required to remedy the situation.”
>
>With increased prosperity, people are consuming 
>more meat and dairy products every year. Global 
>meat production is projected to more than double 
>from 229 million tonnes in 1999/2001 to 465 
>million tonnes in 2050, while milk output is set 
>to climb from 580 to 1043 million tonnes.
>
>Long shadow
>
>The global livestock sector is growing faster 
>than any other agricultural sub-sector. It 
>provides livelihoods to about 1.3 billion people 
>and contributes about 40 percent to global 
>agricultural output. For many poor farmers in 
>developing countries livestock are also a source 
>of renewable energy for draft and an essential 
>source of organic fertilizer for their crops.
>
>But such rapid growth exacts a steep 
>environmental price, according to the FAO 
>report, Livestock’s Long Shadow –Environmental 
>Issues and Options. “The environmental costs per 
>unit of livestock production must be cut by one 
>half, just to avoid the level of damage 
>worsening beyond its present level,” it warns.
>
>When emissions from land use and land use change 
>are included, the livestock sector accounts for 
>9 percent of CO2 deriving from human-related 
>activities, but produces a much larger share of 
>even more harmful greenhouse gases. It generates 
>65 percent of human-related nitrous oxide, which 
>has 296 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) 
>of CO2. Most of this comes from manure.
>
>And it accounts for respectively 37 percent of 
>all human-induced methane (23 times as warming 
>as CO2), which is largely produced by the 
>digestive system of ruminants, and 64 percent of 
>ammonia, which contributes significantly to acid rain.
>
>Livestock now use 30 percent of the earth’s 
>entire land surface, mostly permanent pasture 
>but also including 33 percent of the global 
>arable land used to producing feed for 
>livestock, the report notes. As forests are 
>cleared to create new pastures, it is a major 
>driver of deforestation, especially in Latin 
>America where, for example, some 70 percent of 
>former forests in the Amazon have been turned over to grazing.
>
>Land and water
>
>At the same time herds cause wide-scale land 
>degradation, with about 20 percent of pastures 
>considered as degraded through overgrazing, 
>compaction and erosion. This figure is even 
>higher in the drylands where inappropriate 
>policies and inadequate livestock management 
>contribute to advancing desertification.
>
>The livestock business is among the most 
>damaging sectors to the earth’s increasingly 
>scarce water resources, contributing among other 
>things to water pollution, euthropication and 
>the degeneration of coral reefs. The major 
>polluting agents are animal wastes, antibiotics 
>and hormones, chemicals from tanneries, 
>fertilizers and the pesticides used to spray 
>feed crops. Widespread overgrazing disturbs 
>water cycles, reducing replenishment of above 
>and below ground water resources. Significant 
>amounts of water are withdrawn for the production of feed.
>
>Livestock are estimated to be the main inland 
>source of phosphorous and nitrogen contamination 
>of the South China Sea, contributing to biodiversity loss in marine ecosystems.
>
>Meat and dairy animals now account for about 20 
>percent of all terrestrial animal biomass. 
>Livestock’s presence in vast tracts of land and 
>its demand for feed crops also contribute to 
>biodiversity loss; 15 out of 24 important 
>ecosystem services are assessed as in decline, 
>with livestock identified as a culprit.
>
>Remedies
>
>The report, which was produced with the support 
>of the multi-institutional Livestock, 
>Environment and Development (LEAD) Initiative, 
>proposes explicitly to consider these 
>environmental costs and suggests a number of 
>ways of remedying the situation, including:
>
>Land degradation – controlling access and 
>removing obstacles to mobility on common 
>pastures. Use of soil conservation methods and 
>silvopastoralism, together with controlled 
>livestock exclusion from sensitive areas; 
>payment schemes for environmental services in 
>livestock-based land use to help reduce and reverse land degradation.
>
>Atmosphere and climate – increasing the 
>efficiency of livestock production and feed crop 
>agriculture. Improving animals’ diets to reduce 
>enteric fermentation and consequent methane 
>emissions, and setting up biogas plant initiatives to recycle manure.
>
>Water – improving the efficiency of irrigation 
>systems. Introducing full-cost pricing for water 
>together with taxes to discourage large-scale 
>livestock concentration close to cities.
>
>These and related questions are the focus of 
>discussions between FAO and its partners meeting 
>to chart the way forward for livestock 
>production at global consultations in Bangkok 
>this week. These discussions also include the 
>substantial public health risks related to the 
>rapid livestock sector growth as, increasingly, 
>animal diseases also affect humans; rapid 
>livestock sector growth can also lead to the 
>exclusion of smallholders from growing markets.
>
>-----------------------
>
>Contact:
>Christopher Matthews
>Media Relations, FAO
>christopher.matthews at fao.org
>(+39) 06 570 53762
>
>
>
>The above information was sent to you by:
>
>Jack Cooper
>
>Food Industry Environmental Network, LLC (FIEN, 
>LLC) - see http://www.fien.com - FIEN, LLC is a 
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>
>Jack L. Cooper
>Food Industry Environmental Network, LLC
>33 Falling Creek Court, Silver Spring, Maryland 20904
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>and
>Cindy Roberts
>Food Industry Environmental Network, LLC
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