But don't just take our word for itįactory-farmed beef requires twice as much fossil fuel energy input as pasture-reared beef. According to the Convention on Biological Diversity 5 climate change may affect plant growth and production by promoting the spread of pests and diseases, increasing exposure to heat stress and encouraging soil erosion due to stronger winds.

Higher temperatures, for example, could place further stress on water-scarce regions and make it harder to rear animals and grow food crops. Climate change will make farming harderĬlimate change is already harming food production 4 and these impacts are projected to increase over time, with potentially devastating effects. Both gases are much more potent than carbon dioxide. Livestock farming produces 37% and 65% of our global methane and nitrous oxide emissions respectively 3. It's not just carbon dioxide that's the problem: gases including methane and nitrous oxide, also produced in significant quantities, are released through various sources including animal waste and fertiliser use. The rest is needed for factors such as heating, lighting and ventilation. According to a study published by The Royal Society 2, feed is the dominant energy user, taking around 75% of the total energy required. This isn't just to rear the animals, but also to grow the vast amounts of feed they need. An energy-hungry industryįactory farming also requires large amounts of energy in order to function. For example, forest clearance to grow the crops and rear the animals reduces vital carbon 'sinks' and releases gases previously stored in the soil and vegetation.

A wide variety of sources of carbon dioxideįactory farming produces greenhouse gases throughout the 'supply chain'.

Factory farming is a major contributor to the climate change challenge, releasing vast volumes of greenhouse gases. Current data suggest that we need to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in developed countries by at least 80% by 2050 in order to have a chance of staying below an average temperature rise of over 2✬ 1. We now know that man-made climate change is real and that it poses a great threat to the planet and its inhabitants. Factory farming is fuelling climate change, releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide and methane. Climate change Factory farming intensifies climate change, releasing vast volumes of greenhouse gases.

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