Micro-Livestock’s Short Shadow

Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options, a 2006 report released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, assesses the impact of the livestock sector on environmental challenges, along with potential technical and policy approaches to mitigation. The livestock sector poses serious challenges to the environment at every scale from local to global. According to senior U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization official Dr. Henning Steinfeld the meat industry is “one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems” and “urgent action is required to remedy the situation.” The report evaluates that livestock are responsible for 1/5th of global greenhouse gas emissions, arising from feed production, fertilizer production, deforestation, feed and animal products transport, soil erosion in pastures and feed crops, enteric fermentation and methane and nitrous oxide emissions from manure. If man shrinks his needs shrink. Physically downsizing existing livestock or moving towards smaller alternative livestock options will have significant consequences in battling meat’s negative contribution to environmental challenges.