01/10/2020
The dairy industry is a major contributor to climate change and environmental destruction, with one liter of cow’s milk requiring more than 22 times more water and roughly 12 times more land, and emitting three times more CO2 emissions than one liter of soy milk. (1)
This eco-impact chart doesn't even factor in methane emissions, which matter— a lot— because methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO2; it traps significantly more heat. Over a 100 year time frame, methane is 20-25 times stronger than CO2, and over a 20-year time-frame, it is 72-84 times stronger. (2)
A recent study from the Joint Global Change Research Institute found that methane emissions from farmed animals are 11 percent higher than previously calculated. The researchers state that the concentration of methane in the atmosphere increased 10 times more quickly in the last decade than in the decade prior. “This change is due to a number of factors including an 8.4 percent increase in methane emissions from the dairy industry."
The researchers also note a 37% increase in emissions due to changes in manure management, including the use of anaerobic manure lagoons. Manure from cattle releases substantial quantities of methane into the atmosphere, such that the EPA classifies “manure management” as a separate category of methane emissions. (3)
Another nasty by-product of cow manure is nitrous oxide, a climate-warming pollutant 298 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. (4)
The dirtiest dairy offender is cheese: it takes 10 lbs. of milk to produce just one lb. of cheese, making cheese the third worst food for climate after beef and lamb. (5)
If you care about the planet, turn over a new leaf and choose plant-based milks, cheeses, yogurts, and more. Adopting a plant-based diet is one of the single most important actions you can take to help the climate and environment, and of course the animals.
What about organic, pastured, grass-fed, etc? Even worse for climate and environment in terms of methane emissions, land use, biodiversity and habitat loss, and more: https://freefromharm.org/animal-products-and-ethics/slaughter-free-dairy/
See also, "Avoiding Meat & Dairy Single Biggest Way to Reduce Your Impact on Earth," which summarizes the largest and most comprehensive study ever conducted of the environmental impacts of different forms of farming, including so-called "sustainable" forms of animal farming: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth
1) The Ecologist, "Milking It": https://theecologist.org/2019/nov/04/milking-it
2) A Well-Fed World: https://awellfedworld.org/climate/
3)Carbon Balance and Management, "Revised methane emissions factors and spatially distributed annual carbon fluxes for global livestock"
4) Natural Resources Defense Council, "To Shrink Your Carbon Footprint, Ease Up on the Dairy"
5) Environmental Working Group: https://www.ewg.org/meateatersguide/a-meat-eaters-guide-to-climate-change-health-what-you-eat-matters/climate-and-environmental-impacts/
