Livestock to Raise Greenhouse Emissions

Experts are speculating -as they are wont to do- that soaring international livestock production could single-handedly release enough carbon into the atmosphere to exceed recognized "safe" levels by 2050. A recent study combined figures for livestock production in 2000 with projections for population growth and meat consumption by 2050. The study found that the livestock sector's emissions alone could send temperatures above a 2 degrees Celsius rise -the rise in temperature recognized as the threshold for destabilization (the more conservative estimate is that the livestock sector contributes only 70% of this 2 degree rise). The projections even took into account increased efficiency of grain production.

Canadian researchers have called on governments to prioritize and reign in the livestock sector with new policy. For instance, they suggest a shift away from raising ruminant animals, such as cattle and sheep, to poultry and well-managed fisheries and aquaculture ("well-managed" being the operative adjective). And -because we all saw it coming- they suggest an across the board reduction in per capita consumption of meat and animal products, something they say "may be particularly feasible and advantageous in developed countries."