Asando el planeta: Las grandes emisiones de las grandes industrias cárnicas y lácteas

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Asando el planeta: Las grandes emisiones de las grandes industrias cárnicas y lácteas, a new report co-authored by Foodrise, Friends of the Earth U.S., Greenpeace Nordic, y Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, reveals the colossal, yet often overlooked, climate footprint of Big Meat and Dairy.

What’s the Problem?

The global livestock sector is estimated to be responsible for between 12% and 19% of total human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making it one of the world’s highest emitting sectors.

This new report presents the latest global assessment of the meat and dairy industry’s outsized climate impact, estimating the GHG emissions generated by 45 of the world’s major meat and dairy processing companies in 2023/22.

The findings make it clear: cutting fossil fuel emissions alone isn’t enough. Tackling emissions from Big Meat and Dairy is also essential to limit global heating, at a time when every fraction of a degree counts.

Key Findings

• These 45 Big Meat and Dairy companies combined emitted an estimated 1 billion tonnes of GHG emissions in 2023/22 (CO2eq). If they were a country, they would be the world’s ninth highest GHG-emitting nation. In fact, the companies’ combined emissions are estimated to be more than those reported for Saudi Arabia, reportedly the second largest oil producer in the world.
• The methane emissions from these 45 companies combined are estimated to exceed the reported methane emissions of all the EU27 countries and the UK combined in 2023.
•  The top five emitters emerging from this analysis combined — JBS, Marfrig, Tyson, Minerva, and Cargill — emitted an estimated 496 million tonnes of of greenhouse gasses  in 2023 (in CO2eq), more than reported for Chevron, Shell, or BP. The estimated emissions of these five companies combined account for nearly half (48%) of the estimated GHG emissions from the total of 45 meat and dairy companies analysed.
• JBS, here estimated to be the world’s highest-emitting meat corporation, alone accounts for nearly one quarter (23%) of all estimated greenhouse gas emissions from these 45 meat and dairy companies. Greenpeace Nordic has estimated in an earlier publication that JBS emits more methane than reported for ExxonMobil and Shell combined.

Solutions

Research repeatedly shows that dietary changes in high-income nations are the single biggest option for cutting food system emissions that we have. An estimated 83% of global meat production and 77% of global meat consumption occurs in high and upper-middle income countries, compared to just 2% in low-income countries, according to a recent research paper. 

Moving to a predominantly plant-rich diet — the EAT-Lancet diet — in high-income nations would reduce food emissions by an estimated 61% and save an area roughly the size of the EU. Were this area returned to nature, the land could draw down around 14 years of global agricultural emissions. To achieve this, we will also need to hold Big Meat and Dairy companies to account.

Policy Recommendations

We recommend that policymakers:

• Introduce mandatory reporting of key industry data for Big Meat and Dairy companies to ensure transparency and accountability.
• Set binding targets and emissions reduction plans for an absolute reduction of national agriculture GHG emissions.
• Introduce regulation to ensure that Big Meat and Dairy companies’ environmental and social costs currently paid by the public are instead paid by the polluting company according to the “polluter pays” principle.
• Design a just transition to support: a shift away from large-scale animal agriculture (including animal feed) towards nature restoration and ecological agriculture systems that centre plant-based food production rooted in agroecology and food sovereignty principles that adequately support farmers, workers, and citizens; and produce healthy and nutritious foods. This should include:
  • Subsidy reform to support this just transition.
  • Reform to procurement of food for public institutions such as schools, government facilities, and hospitals.
  • Reform to retail and catering business policies.
  • Divestment of public pension funds and multilateral development banks from Big Meat and Dairy companies.

What the Experts Say

Martin Bowman, gerente sénior de políticas y campañas de Foodrise, afirmó: 

Estas grandes empresas cárnicas y lácteas, ávidas de lucro, impulsan descaradamente la crisis climática mediante su adicción a la producción masiva de carne y lácteos a escala industrial. Esto ocurre a pesar de la evidencia contundente de que, para limitar la catástrofe climática, es esencial una transición hacia dietas saludables, sostenibles y ricas en plantas, junto con una ganadería a escala mucho menor. 

Por eso alertamos sobre las altísimas emisiones de las grandes industrias cárnicas y lácteas, que rivalizan estrechamente con las petroleras y superan las de países enteros. Necesitamos urgentemente que los legisladores se comprometan a combatir esta poderosa industria mediante impuestos y regulaciones. Esto es absolutamente crucial para la salud de las personas y del planeta, y para financiar una transición justa hacia una alimentación saludable y sostenible.

Shefali Sharma, experta en políticas agrícolas globales de Greenpeace Alemania, afirmó: 

Mientras los gobiernos se dirigen a la COP30 en el corazón de la Amazonia —un ecosistema devastado por los gigantes mundiales de la carne—, los científicos tienen claro que si no se reducen las emisiones agrícolas, nos hundiremos mucho más allá del límite de 1,5 °C establecido en París. Las granjas que restauran la naturaleza y las comunidades, no las fábricas controladas por las corporaciones, deberían ser el centro de nuestro sistema alimentario. Aún está a tiempo para que los gobiernos se comprometan con dicha transición en sus planes climáticos tras esta COP.

Kari Hamerschlag, subdirectora de Alimentación y Agricultura de Amigos de la Tierra, dijo: 

No podemos dejarnos engañar por el descarado lavado de imagen verde de las grandes empresas cárnicas y lácteas. Las cifras son desalentadoras. Los gigantes de la carne y los lácteos son responsables de una enorme cantidad de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero, especialmente metano. Si los gobiernos se toman en serio el cumplimiento de los objetivos climáticos, ya no pueden ignorar el impacto climático de la carne y los lácteos industriales. Es esencial contar con objetivos vinculantes de emisiones agrícolas, la presentación de informes completos sobre la cadena de suministro y el apoyo a una transición justa hacia la agroecología y sistemas alimentarios más basados en plantas.

Ben Lilliston, Director de Estrategias Climáticas del Instituto de Política Agrícola y Comercial, dijo:

A pesar de años de compromisos para reducir las emisiones, las principales empresas cárnicas y lácteas siguen impulsando imprudentemente sistemas de producción que contaminan el clima. Es hora de que los gobiernos den un paso al frente y lideren, con regulaciones armonizadas y gasto público diseñado para reducir las emisiones y apoyar a los agricultores en la transición hacia sistemas agrícolas más sostenibles y con menores emisiones.