Climate Change and Animal Welfare

Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing our planet today. While there are several causes of the climate crisis, one of the main drivers is the global food system — and factory farming more specifically. 

A report by World Animal Protection highlights the immense potential of dietary shifts in addressing both climate change and animal cruelty.

The study found that if just four key countries - China, Brazil, the United States, and the Netherlands - reduced their chicken and pork consumption by 50% by 2040 while also opting for higher-welfare products, the environmental impact would be staggering.

This shift alone would be equivalent to taking 45 million cars off the road in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.

Below, we explore the impact of factory farming on climate change and how choosing more sustainable animal products or a plant-based diet can help support both climate change and animal welfare.

Understanding the impact of factory farming on climate change

If you're wondering 'How does factory farming contribute to climate change?', then you're asking all the right questions.

Intensively producing meat requires intensively feeding livestock, which means growing massive amounts of food, which requires vast amounts of land.

Sadly, natural forests like the Amazon are being torn down to make way for animal-feed crops, like soy. This mass deforestation not only releases large amounts of stored carbon but also reduces the planet’s ability to absorb emissions, further intensifying the impact of factory farming on climate change.

In fact, as a result of this mass deforestation and animal agriculture, factory farming accounts for at least 11% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. That means the environmental impact of meat production is pretty hefty!

How to reduce the climate impact of food with high-welfare animal products

One way to combat factory farming climate change is to choose sustainable animal products instead of mass-produced ones. With high-welfare farming, the climate benefits and animals live better lives too.

Here's how:

• Lower animal density - In sustainable food systems, animal welfare comes first. High-welfare systems operate with fewer animals per unit of land, reducing overall livestock numbers and, consequently, emissions linked to their rearing, transport, and processing.
• Less reliance on intensive feed - In these systems, animals are fed more naturally, reducing the need for feed crops such as soy. This helps curb deforestation and soil degradation.
• Sustainable practices - High-welfare farming prioritises methods such as rotational grazing, which enhances carbon capture in soils and lowers emissions of gases like nitrous oxide.
• Reduced waste - Less intensive systems generate less concentrated waste, mitigating methane emissions from poorly managed manure.
• Efficient resource use - By focusing on animal welfare, these systems tend to use less water and energy, reducing their overall environmental footprint.

So, can choosing sustainable meat help fight climate change?

Absolutely - and it can fight against animal cruelty in factory farming too!

These systems contribute to animal welfare and climate solutions by not only lowering their environmental impact but also ensuring a more humane way of rearing animals that prevents the suffering associated with intensive factory farming.

Further benefits of sustainable animal products

Thanks to high-welfare food systems, animal welfare and climate change can be tackled head-on. Plus, choosing sustainable animal products brings additional benefits, too, including:

• Ecosystem protection - Reduced deforestation helps preserve critical habitats for biodiversity. Millions of plants and wild animals are sadly being killed or injured by factory farming fires.
• Lower health risks - Less reliance on antibiotics reduces the risk of antimicrobial resistance, meaning fewer superbugs might emerge and transfer to humans.
• Better animal welfare - Animals live in conditions that respect their physical and emotional well-being, unlike factory farming where animals experience relentless suffering.

Other animal welfare and climate solutions

So, how can we tackle climate change?

Choosing sustainable animal products, adding more plant-based meals to your diet, and reducing your meat consumption benefits climate change - and helps to end cruel factory farming practices.

These everyday choices have the power to transform the global food system and protect our planet for future generations. Now is the time to act!

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