Study highlights animal agriculture’s outsized role in global emissions and proposes urgent reforms to safeguard the planet

With 2024 recorded as the hottest year to date, scientists are emphasizing the urgent need to address climate change by transforming global food systems. For the first time in history, average global temperatures reached 1.6°C above preindustrial levels, surpassing the critical 1.5°C threshold necessary to prevent catastrophic climate effects.

A new study, Solving Climate Change Requires Changing Our Food Systems, highlights the role of animal agriculture as a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, attributing up to one-third of emissions to food production. Yet, as co-author Professor Andrew Knight of Murdoch University’s School of Veterinary Medicine points out, food systems remain overlooked in mainstream climate solutions.

“Animal agriculture is a major emitter of greenhouse gases and a leading cause of deforestation and freshwater use,” said Professor Knight. “Emissions from animal agriculture are so large that we cannot effectively slow climate change and environmental degradation by ignoring them. We simply must transition our societies towards more sustainable, plant-based diets.”

The study underscores the unsustainable nature of the global appetite for animal products. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), demand for meat is expected to double by 2050. Meeting this demand would require converting approximately 80% of the world’s forests and shrublands into land for raising animals—a trajectory with devastating implications for biodiversity and climate stability.

“This model of food production is inefficient and resource-intensive,” added Professor Knight. “It exacerbates food insecurity and starvation, especially as the global population continues to grow.”

Beyond its environmental footprint, animal agriculture poses significant health risks. The study found that consumption of animal products is linked to chronic diseases, antibiotic-resistant infections, and zoonotic disease outbreaks. Antibiotic-resistant infections alone kill an estimated 700,000 people annually.

“The proliferation of industrialized animal farming has brought us closer than ever before to outbreaks of lethal human zoonoses, such as avian influenza and H1N1, originating from factory farming operations,” said Knight.

The researchers propose several strategies to reform food systems and mitigate their environmental and health impacts. These include removing government subsidies for animal agriculture, imposing higher taxes on animal products to account for their environmental costs, and incentivizing the adoption of plant-based diets.

Lead author Dr Svetlana Feigin of the All Life Institute in Washington, D.C., emphasized the importance of a global mindset shift to achieve meaningful change.

“The future of humanity and all life on our planet depends on sustainability,” Dr Feigin said. “The data indicate that we will not succeed on the issue of climate change unless we change the way that we produce and consume food.”

The study also highlights the potential health benefits of plant-based diets, which could reduce chronic disease prevalence and improve overall public health.

As the impacts of climate change become increasingly visible across the globe, the researchers stress that rethinking food systems is no longer optional—it is essential. By addressing the inefficiencies and externalized costs of animal agriculture, policymakers and consumers alike can play a pivotal role in mitigating climate change and ensuring a sustainable future.

“The time for incremental change has passed,” said Dr Feigin. “Transforming our food systems is not just an environmental imperative but a moral one, crucial for the survival of future generations.”