According to the UN, about one-third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions is linked to food production. And far and away the biggest contributor to that number is cattle farming. In 2021, global beef farming is estimated to have contributed over 4 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. For comparison, Australia emitted about 500 million tonnes in 2021.
This article, published in The Guardian, has been written by a graduate of an online training course created by America’s National Cattlemen’s Beef Association called the Masters of Beef Advocacy program. In it, students are taught about the beef industry’s sustainability challenges, their efforts to address them and importantly how to defend the industry in the court of public opinion.
This article traces these PR efforts back to 2006, when the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation released a report titled Livestock’s Long Shadow, which suggested that 18% of global emissions came from the livestock industry (that 18% has since been revised downwards slightly). That put the cattle industry on notice. In the almost 20 years since the industry has mobilised a whole array of efforts to defend itself.
When it comes to climate change, no part of the debate is more controversial than livestock. The need to transition away from fossil fuels and electrify our energy grid is widely accepted in 2023. But livestock remains highly charged (and I’m sure we’ll get a few responses to this email). So it important that we’re clear that livestock production is not inherently unsustainable. The world does not need to go vegan to avoid the worst effects of climate change. But the industry will need to change. What we do need to be is clear about the challenges we face and informed about the trade-offs we’re making as individuals with our diets and as nations with our farming and climate policies. We’re not sure the Masters of Beef Advocacy program helps that.
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