Diane Mayerfeld - Our Carbon Hoofprint: The Complex Relationship Between Meat and Climate

The goal of this series is to provide coverage of emerging topics in food and health, using an interdisciplinary approach that considers health not only in a functional and human sense, but also in terms of external factors such as the environment. Titles in the series will address growing concerns about the future health, sustainability and quality of the food supply, as well as diet, and provide a home for books focusing on social and environmental concerns related to food.

This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG

The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

I think of myself as an environmentalist. I have worked on environmental issues for more than 40 years, from marine and terrestrial habitat preservation to groundwater protection to sustainable agriculture. I also try to avoid causing excessive environmental harm through my personal lifestyle, and my food choices are an important part of that effort.

However, while I care deeply about the environment, I am not a fanatic. I commute to work and run in-town errands by bicycle, but my family does own a car, which we use more than absolutely necessary. When there is not a pandemic, we also take occasional plane trips, and though our home is energy efficient and low-waste by American standards, it could be smaller and even more efficient. Our food choices likewise compromise between environmental, economic, and social concerns and pleasure.

Since 1996 my work has focused on making agriculture more sustainable on trying to reduce the pollution and habitat destruction so much farming causes, while also improving the way our agriculture and food system treats people. My knowledge of agriculture in the American Midwest led me to the conclusion that livestock are a critical part of a sustainable agroecology, and that well-managed grass-based cattle and sheep are particularly beneficial to agroecosystems.

The release of the United Nations Livestocks Long Shadow report and several widely read articles about the lower emissions intensity of industrial livestock challenged those conclusions. I dove into the literature, first to try to justify my original convictions, and then increasingly to try to really understand the impact of different livestock systems and what we might do to reduce that impact. This book is the result of that years-long effort.

What I found is that its complicated. Livestock production does result in significant greenhouse gas emissions , but it is also still a critical component of sustainable agroecosystems. Both industrial and grass-based agriculture offer important ways to reduce emissions, and both systems have much room for improvement. Many on all sides of the discussion are guilty of exaggeration and of omission, and those distortions have prevented real dialogue and positive action.

For example, I just watched a slick opinion video called Meet the People Getting Paid to Kill Our Planet, and it reminded me forcibly of why I wrote this book. The video criticizes the fact that there has been very little movement to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture in the United States and blames agricultural lobbying organizations for that lack of action.

Heres the thing I agree with most of what the video says, including the message that American agriculture needs to do much more to address climate change. But at the same time I am infuriated by the deliberate distortions in the video. For example, they lead by saying that agriculture accounts for one third of global greenhouse gas emissions and that in the United States agriculture doesnt get enough of the blame for climate change too much focus is on big oil and electricity generation. The implication that agriculture is the largest U.S. greenhouse gas emitter is far from the truth. In the United States, agriculture accounts for about a tenth of the countrys greenhouse gas emissions , while electricity generation produces 30% and transportation 26 to 28% of greenhouse gas emissions . Other examples of misleading statistics and manipulative videography occur throughout the video.

Agricultural interests also frequently engage in distortion and misdirection when discussing climate change. For example, proponents of industrial livestock often omit greenhouse gases from feed production when they calculate livestock emissions, while proponents of grazing imply that the impressive soil carbon gains achieved by a tiny number of farmers can be achieved everywhere, without reductions in total meat production .

These extreme positions may fire up the base, but they just infuriate those they demonize and cause them to dig in their heels. They also cause complacency in the audiences they favor. My hope is that by finding the valid points on all sides of this discussion, and by challenging the distortions, this book can help move all of us to a respectful and honest examination of how to reduce livestocks carbon hoofprint . This effort is not about finding compromise in the middle, but rather about facing the fact that all of us need to think critically and act more effectively to address the real climate impacts of our food system . Only then can we move to effective action both by individuals and policy makers.

Many people helped with this book. Bob van Oort, Robbie Andrew, Nina Holmelin, Richard Teague, and Steve Apfelbaum contributed vital chapters. Jude Capper stepped in at the last moment to help write a chapter when another author didnt come through. Colleagues in Extension and at UW-Madison read early drafts, sent articles, and helped refine my thinking. Farmers and sustainable agriculture advocates in Wisconsin and beyond shared their experiences and insights. And friends and family not only tolerated but also supported my obsession with the topic, from my vegan brother to my meat-loving husband and children. Thank you all!