Download The question of carbon-dioxide emission in the meat

Haganum Model United Nations
Gymnasium Haganum, The Hague
Research Reports
United Nations Framework Convention for Climate
Change
The question of carbon dioxide emission in the
meat-industry
10th, 11th and 12th of March 2017
Eleonora Raus
Forum: UNFCCC: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Issue: The question of carbon dioxide emission in the meat-industry
Student Officer: Eleonora Raus
Position: Deputy President
Introduction
Climate change has been a hot-topic in the past decade. It has been blamed on the burning
of fossil fuels that release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, however, some other contributors to
global warming have been ignored and not properly addressed. This includes the meat-industry
that manufacture animal products. The effects of keeping livestock in mass numbers are known to
harm the environment, as it destroys ecosystems, pollutes waters and emits greenhouse gases,
hence increasing global warming.
One millennium ago, the meat-industry did not have as big an effect on greenhouse gas
emissions as the human population was smaller, and therefore produced noticeably less animal
products. Particularly people in developed countries encountering rapid urbanisation are eating
more meat and dairy than before. China in 2009, for instance, had 3.6 chickens per person.
Greenhouse gases contribute to climate change because of the greenhouse effect, as
there is less heat that escapes into space and more that is emitted back to the Earth. The meatindustry produces methane as the by-product from farm animals, therefore the more live stock, the
more methane will be released from their feces and gases. Another greenhouse gas, carbon
dioxide, is largely formed by the transportation of the food products and the increase in demand for
burning fossil fuels to maintain and work the industry’s infrastructure.
Definition of Key Terms
Ranch
A large farm on which a particular crop or kind of animal is raised.
Meat-industry
The meat-industry handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of animals
such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock.
Livestock
Livestock are domestic animals, such as cattle or horses, raised for home use or for profit,
especially on a farm. Currently in the world, there are approximately 1.4 billion cows, 50 billion
chicken, 1 billion pigs and 1 billion sheep. The largest emitters of greenhouse gases out of this list
are cows, followed by pigs and sheep. They have ruminant digestive systems, meaning that when
consuming certain foods, bacterial breakdown is performed that releases methane.
Greenhouse gases
There are multiple gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect, including carbon dioxide,
methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. They all absorb infrared radiation.
Background Information
The history of the meat-industry
It is not until the past two centuries that animal ranching has been taken to an extremely
large scale. There is a clear correlation between the increase of meat-production and the rise in
greenhouse gas emissions. Comparing Figures 1 and 2 makes it apparent that these two have a
positive correlation. Particularly since the middle of the 20th century there have been large rises in
both. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), future
demand for meat is expected to increase by two-thirds. See Figure 1 for the current situation on
meat consumption across the globe.
Figure 1
http://www.csiro.au/greenhousegases/
Figure 2 http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5019e/y5019e05.htm
Greenhouse gas emissions
There have been shocking amounts of expansion in the meat-industry from 20 years ago to
today. A study suggests that since 1990, the world livestock numbers for poultry (birds) has
increased by 104.2%, whilst the ranching of cattle has increased by 16.5%. This has had an
enormous toll on the environment.
The World Watch Institute states that livestock upkeep is accountable for 51 percent of all
greenhouse gas emissions. The FAO state that it is only accountable for 18 percent. Clearly this is
a controversial topic, because the statistics do vary from nation to nation. In more developed
countries, the percentages of greenhouse gas emissions tend to be higher for the burning of fossil
fuels, however, this does not mean that the meat-industry does not contribute.
When discussing greenhouse gas emissions, the most advertised one is carbon dioxide,
however, it is not the only culprit in threatening human kind’s future. If 1kg of methane would be
released into the atmosphere, it would produce 72 times more warming than carbon dioxide during
the course of twenty years. Unfortunately, its quantity in the air has increased by 150 percent since
the 18th century. The gas particles absorb the sun’s heat by blocking the light photons, and then
radiate it back to the Earth.
Studies suggest that one kilogram of beef is equivalent to a car driving for 250 kilometers.
This is because many farmers choose to feed perennial ryegrass and grains to their animals. The
livestock do not consume these in their natural environment. Instead, cattle prefer a diversity of
plants. As their digestive systems are not equipped for consuming unfamiliar foods that have been
sprayed with fertilizers, gases are formed inside their stomachs. Methane is therefore released as
a by-product to their manure. The fermentation occurring within the feces itself supplies the
atmosphere with disproportionate quantities of greenhouse gases. It is not only cows who are
responsible, but the livestock sector in general (including pigs, chicken and sheep).
Additional economic and environmental costs result from the meat-industry: the food that is
fed to the livestock has to be transported across large distances. The transportation of these goods
is done by ship, plane, truck and train, therefore emitting carbon dioxide in the process of traveling.
Deforestation to create pastures
In tropical nations like Brazil, it is evident that agricultural farming is unsustainable, as ecosystems suffer from deforestation for the creation of land for cattle. Forests are not only cleared for
the livestock to graze on, but the fields are also used for growing crops like soy and corn to feed
the animals. Since cows consume 15-20kg of feed a day, the meat-industry creating a burden on
the environment to supply the 1.5 billion cows with food and pastures. With less trees, less carbon
dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere, enhancing the greenhouse effect and thus speeding up
climate change.
Burning fossils fuels to maintain the keeping of livestock
To keep the meat industry running, energy is required for the working of slaughter houses,
packaging infrastructure and more. In the USA, 1% of the total energy is used to maintain
livestock. This is partially in the form of burning fossil fuels which negatively impacts the
environment, as it is unrenewable. With 25 kilocalories of fossil fuel required to produce 1
kilocalorie of meat, the future looks grim. A growing meat-industry therefore means a higher
demand for energy, resulting in an increase in demand for fossil fuels due to its low cost and high
calorific value.
Major Countries and Organisations Involved
United States of America (USA)
The USA produces 19% of the total beef in the world and their government spends 38
billion dollars a year for subsidizing the meat-industry. The average American eats 91 kilograms of
meat annually, and largely because of this, 56 327 kilometers of their rivers have been polluted
with animal waste. Since the USA is in the top ten countries who emit the most greenhouse gases,
their policies to limiting the production of meat and dairy should be tightened. Currently, the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans has advised civilians to turn more towards a plant based diet, however,
this has been advertised for the sake of individual health and not for slowing global warming down.
European Union (EU)
Following the US, Brazil and China, the EU is the fourth largest producer of beef, and is
highly ranked for other livestock farming too. In the early 2000s, there was a decline in demand for
meat, therefore less was produced, hence leading to Europe becoming a large net exporter. “In the
past 10 years, EU beef production has declined nearly 15% while the U.S. has been relatively flat
and Brazil and China have both increased over 60%.” Because of the threat of Bovine Spongiform
Encephalopathy (commonly known as mad cow’s disease), EU laws regulate the meat-industry by
setting standards for animal nutrition, hygiene and handling. For example, “the spreading of
manure on pastures is banned until after all the snow has melted in the spring.”
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO)
The FAO is a UN body founded in 1948. Their goals are ‘to eradicate hunger, food
insecurity and malnutrition; the elimination of poverty and the driving forward of economic and
social progress for all; and, the sustainable management and utilization of natural resources.’ This
organization has been actively involved in researching the agriculture industry and questioning its
sustainability. As it is one of the largest UN bodies for agriculture, it has potential power when it
comes to limiting green-house gas emissions in the meat-industry.
Timeline of Events
Date
Description of event
First scientific research is conducted on methane emissions in
1960
agriculture (including livestock and rice farming)
1970
Geologists found alarming methane quantities deposited into sea ice
1994
The UNFCCC was entered into force
2005
The Kyoto protocol was put into action.
Relevant UN Treaties and Events

Kyoto protocol
This is an international treaty signed by 192 in 1997 and was put into action in 2005.
The Kyoto protocol asks State Parties to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. It follows the
objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), which is to
decrease greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to "a level that would prevent dangerous
anthropogenic interference with the climate system.”

Paris agreement
In 2015, the Paris agreement was made with in the UNFCCC. One of its aims is to
hold the increasing global temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius. By signing this treaty,
countries wish "to achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals
by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century."
Previous Attempts to solve the Issue
An interesting solution that has been proposed to limiting greenhouse gas emissions is
cultured meat, that is created using tissue-engineering technology. Starter cells are taken from
animals via biopsy and “through fluctuations in temperature an environment is created.” In 2013, a
lab-grown burger was tried for the first time, and it was claimed to have a very close consistency to
farmed meat. Unfortunately, cultured meat is currently too expensive to become a commercial
product, however, with further research and investment it can become affordable for every person.
There have been creative approaches to this issue, and Argentina's National Institute of
Agricultural Technology (ANIAT) has contributed in 2014. Their investigating has led to the finding
of a device that traps the methane released from a cow’s digestive process before the gas has
even left their body. The energy collected is converted into biofuels that can then be used to power
electrical devices. Though new technology, it should be further invested in and this type of
international research should be funded by the UN.
Possible Solutions
A hot topic is veganism, which claims to solve greenhouse gas emissions in the meatindustry. Though it is unrealistic for all nations to turn their population’s to eating only plant based
diets, demand for meat should still decrease. A potential solution is to request governments to cut
(or at least limit) subsidies for animal products, and begin subsidizing plant based foods instead.
This will lower the price of, for example, fruit and vegetables, making them more appealing for
consumers to purchase. According to the Law of Demand in economics, fall in prices means an
increase in consumer demand. Increasing the price of meat will therefore decrease its demand.
As discussed earlier, farmers feed their livestock in the cheapest way possible. Certain
grains, however, form harmful gases inside the cow’s stomach as the hydrogen generated from
ruminal digestion gets converted into methane through the help of micro-organisms. Research has
been conducted to find which grains are best to feed cows and which produce the least methane.
Canadian studies found that corn produces 30% less methane once digested in comparison to
barley. Governments could reward farmers who use sustainable feed, by lowering their taxes or
subsidizing their products.
Beyond improving animal diets, proposed remedies to the multiple problems include soil
conservation methods together with controlled livestock exclusion from sensitive areas; setting up
biogas plant initiatives to recycle manure; improving efficiency of irrigation systems; and
introducing full-cost pricing for water together with taxes to discourage large-scale livestock
concentration close to cities.
Improving livestock manure treatment is a possible solution. “Cow dung gas is 55-65%
methane, 30-35% carbon dioxide, with some hydrogen, nitrogen and other traces. Its heating value
is around 600 B.T.U. per cubic foot.” Member States could enforce the usage of anaerobic
digesters in (particularly factory) farms (see Appendix II for further information). This solution could
benefit developing countries who seek cheap energy sources.
One of the most significant methods to preventing further damage to the climate and
environment is to have Member States ban livestock upkeep in sensitive areas, particularly from
vulnerable habitats like the Amazon. This will prevent overgrazing, deforestation, habitat
destruction and endangering species. In the resolution, it must be specified how this obligation
shall be put into action by nations.
Appendix or Appendices
I. “Effects cattle have on the environment”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?newsID=20772#.WIEWzrYrKu4
II. “More information on using manure as an energy source”
http://www.s4e.co.in/waste_cattle_dung.php
III. “Paris agreement 2015” http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2016/01/01/parisagreement-will-impact-meat-and-dairy/#6a91b64e696d
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