The global increase of meat and dairy production comes at a high cost to the billions of factory-farmed animals.
Did you know that the livestock sector alone accounts for 14.5 [1] to 16.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions representing a significant burden on climate? [2]
Beef production, which is the top driver of deforestation, accounts for 41% of deforestation in the world’s tropical forests. Every year the world loses around 5 million hectares of forest! [3]
On a global level, dairy production causes one third of all GHG emissions of livestock farming. [1]
It is crucial that we cut down the production and consumption of meat and dairy to reduce the number of factory farmed animals and to prevent further destruction of our environment.
According to the most recent climate change report by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), human induced climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe such as heatwaves, heavy precipitation, droughts and tropical cyclones.
The loss of rainforests like the Amazon, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the record numbers of devastating wildfires worldwide should give us enough reason to take action now!
To help prevent further disasters, to mitigate the climate crisis and to decrease the number of suffering animals in factory farms, FOUR PAWS is calling on major food companies to take a stand.
Multinational players in the food industry have an influence on the consumption and production trends of animal products. FOUR PAWS is calling on major companies in the food industry to use fewer animals in their product range and from high animal-welfare keeping systems. In addition, we are calling on companies to expand and promote more plant-based products.
While we are seeing some promising changes in the food industry expanding their plant-based foods, with more meat and dairy substitutes, we need long-term commitments towards binding meat and dairy reduction goals. These changes should not include an increase of other animal-derived products, but instead include more investment towards innovative plant-based food products to help end factory farming and to prevent climate-related disasters. The planet is counting on us!
Join our call and urge food companies to create change by signing our pledge!
To help end factory farming, I call on the food industry to urgently reduce their production of meat and dairy products, push for high animal welfare standards and increase plant-based alternatives!
[1]Gerber PJ, Steinfeld H, Henderson B, Mottet A, Opio C, Dijkman J, Falcucci A, Tempio G. Tackling climate change through livestock: a global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities. Tackling climate change through livestock: a global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities. 2013 [accessed 2023 Feb 6]. https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20133417883
[2]Eisen MB, Brown PO. Rapid global phaseout of animal agriculture has the potential to stabilize greenhouse gas levels for 30 years and offset 68 percent of CO2 emissions this century. PLOS Climate. 2022;1(2):e0000010. doi:10.1371/journal.pclm.0000010
[3] https://ourworldindata.org/what-are-drivers-deforestation
Appetite for Change (biologicaldiversity.org) - Calculated using the 2017 online update to the FAO 2013 GLEAM assessment that estimates the livestock sector emitted 8.1 GT CO2eq in 2010 (using 298 and 34 as global warming potentials for N20 and CH4, based on the IPCC 2014 report). The IPCC 2014 report estimates total anthropogenic GHG emissions in 2010 of 49 GT CO2eq. See: FAO, Global Livestock Environmental Assessment Model (GLEAM) [online], Rome, www.fao.org/gleam/en/ and IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change], Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, [Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri & L.A. Meyer (eds.)], IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland (2014), http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/syr/SYR_AR5_FINAL_full_wcover.pdf