Nature Food study: the environmental impact of beef and dairy production

According to a study published in the journal Nature Food, agricultural activity has caused the loss of approximately 300 billion tonnes of stored carbon and has put about 14% of animal species at risk of extinction. The bulk of this impact is concentrated in limited areas: two-thirds of total carbon and biodiversity losses occur on one-third of all global agricultural land.

Products of animal origin play a specific role in this process. Despite their relatively small share in global caloric consumption, it is the production of beef and dairy products that causes the greatest environmental damage. They account for 29% of all carbon losses and 41% of biodiversity decline, which is due to the need to use vast land areas. On average, the production of animal-origin products is accompanied by an eightfold higher loss of carbon and a 14-fold greater decline in biodiversity per calorie compared to plant-based food.

The most significant damage is observed in South America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia. International trade also redistributes environmental impacts: 18% of losses are linked to cross-border food supplies. Brazil is the largest net exporter of such losses, while China acts as the largest net importer.

The authors of the study, representing Leiden University, the University of Oxford, and China Agricultural University, note that restoring 30% of the lands with the highest damage rates could sequester about 170 billion tonnes of carbon and prevent about 60% of extinction risks associated with agriculture. According to Professor Paul Behrens of the University of Oxford and researcher Baoxiao Liu of Leiden University, addressing climate and nature conservation issues should be considered in an integrated manner, as they often concern the same territories and activities.