Issues / Climate change
a warming planet
Climate change
How the way animals are farmed connects to emissions, land, and a warming planet.
Quick answer
Animal agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, land use change, and freshwater consumption. The FAO attributes about 12% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions to livestock, and livestock account for about 80% of the world's agricultural land.
Last reviewed . Sources are listed below.
the basics
What this issue covers
Animal agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, land use change, and freshwater consumption. How animals are farmed and how the planet fares are not separate subjects. They never were.
At the Humane Choices Foundation (HCF), we explain where food-system emissions come from, why land use matters, and how a changing climate affects animals and the people who farm them. Food is responsible for about 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and livestock alone account for about 12% of human-caused emissions, according to the FAO.
Because so much of the impact comes from how animals are raised, our food choices are one of the places where each of us can make a real difference.
dig in
Questions worth asking
Our guides on each question are being written. Every figure will come with a source.
- Which parts of the food system produce greenhouse gas emissions?
- What is land use change, and why does it matter?
- How does a changing climate affect animals and farmers?
- What can individuals, schools, and governments actually change?
follow the thread
Where animals come in
Climate change and animals are linked in both directions. Raising animals for food drives emissions and land clearing, and a warming planet in turn threatens wildlife, fish stocks, and farmed animals exposed to heat and extreme weather.
Farmed land animals
Livestock account for about 12% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions and use about 80% of agricultural land.
Aquatic animals
Warming, acidifying oceans put pressure on the fish populations that billions of people rely on.
Wildlife and captive wild animals
Climate change and habitat loss together are reshaping where wild animals can survive.
by the numbers
What the evidence says
Every figure links to its source. See all of them on our facts and sources page.
12%
FAO report on livestock emissions, 2023, as reported by AFP 2023
80%
Our World in Data, Global land for agriculture (FAO data; Poore and Nemecek, 2018) Recent estimate
26%
quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How much of global emissions come from livestock?
The FAO's 2023 assessment attributes about 12% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions to livestock. An earlier FAO estimate from 2013 was 14.5%. Estimates differ with the method used.
Why does land use matter for the climate?
Clearing forests and other land for pasture and feed crops releases stored carbon and removes habitat. The FAO counts this among the indirect emissions of livestock.
How can livestock emissions be reduced?
The FAO points to improving productivity along the production chain, adjusting animal feed, and improving animal health. It also suggests reducing meat consumption in wealthy countries, while noting the effect on its own would be limited.
How much of global emissions come from food?
About 26%, according to Our World in Data's analysis of Poore and Nemecek (2018). Livestock and fisheries account for 31% of food emissions on the farm alone, before land use and animal feed are counted.
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