About 70% of the 80 billion animals raised annually for consumption are confined to factory farms, which account for at least 11% of global emissions. (Tesson/Andia/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
World Animal Protection, an welfare organisation, has called on heads of state gathered in Dubai for COP28 to curb factory farming to meet climate goals.
Factory farming is large industrialised farming and involves raising livestock in confined spaces indoors where they are intensively fed to increase profits for as little cost as possible. In a report launched on Tuesday, the organisation said factory farming accounts for a minimum of 11% of global emissions.
“The Global North’s factory farms are responsible for $8.65 billion worth of damage across recent disasters in Africa, Asia and South America. By 2050, the economic costs associated with climate-driven disasters globally could exceed $1 trillion annually as the impacts of climate change intensify,” it said.
The report added that about 70% of the 80 billion animals raised annually for consumption are confined in factory farm setups. Production and processing lead to billions of tonnes of emissions every year.
“In the Global South, and Africa in particular, there is a need to stop factory farms from displacing agro-ecological and pastoral livestock systems that support communities and millions of livelihoods,” it said.
During the report’s launch on Tuesday, World Animal Protection’s humane and sustainable agriculture campaigns manager, Victor Yamo, explained that the constant need to feed animals raised for meat also led to a rise in deforestation, which contributes to climate change.
“Deforestation releases stored carbon dioxide, diminishing the Earth’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide and contributing to the climate crisis,” Yamo said.
The report comes at a time when the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation released a roadmap for achieving the 1.5°C target in global food systems at COP28, which urges nations with high meat consumption to reduce their intake.
Speaking during the launch of the roadmap last week, director general Qu Dongyu called on world leaders to “produce more with less”.
“Agrifood systems must be transformed to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable to contribute to food availability, accessibility and affordability, effectively, and to achieve all the [sustainable development goals]”, Qu said.
The report said factory farming’s reliance on mechanised and energy-intensive processes contributes to the burning of fossil fuels.
“From machinery to transportation and synthetic fertiliser production, the energy footprint of industrial agriculture is a significant driver of climate change,” it said, adding that intensive farming practices, characterised by heavy water use, lead to water pollution.
“The runoff from factory farms, laden with nutrients from fertilisers and animal waste, can trigger algal blooms that release methane and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.”
Yamo added: “Because animals are placed in crowded places, there’s a need for regular antibiotics, because those animals are prone to catching diseases. For example, just human waste, manure from food-producing animals treated with antibiotics and antifungals can carry drug residues and resistant germs.
“The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria poses additional ecological threats, including soil degradation and the loss of organic matter. Healthy soils act as carbon sinks soaking up carbon, but degraded soils release stored carbon, further contributing to the climate crisis,” Yamo said.
The report added that the recent severe weather events in Asia, Africa and South America have resulted in about $8 billion in damage attributed solely to factory farming practices in the Global North.
It called for a 10-year moratorium on new factory farms. In addition, it encouraged countries to reallocate subsidies towards more sustainable livestock and plant-based food production practices.
It emphasised the need for large industrial farming conglomerates to make significant contributions to climate loss and damage funds.
“Support a global moratorium on any new factory farms. In the Global South and Africa, in particular, there is a need to stop factory farms from displacing agro-ecological and pastoral livestock systems that support communities and millions of livelihoods,” it said.
The report is expecting a 30% rise in meat demand in Africa, 18% in Asia Pacific and 12% in Latin America by 2030.
“This will not only increase factory farming emissions and contribute to worsening climate related disasters — but also replace the sustainable, agro-ecological pastoralists and their diversified independent farming systems,” it said.
The report says that African countries must spend $53 billion annually by 2030 to adapt to the climate crisis.
It recommended that countrywide strategies should be formed at COP28 to shift from factory farming to sustainable agro-ecological systems.
“COP28 must ensure that food systems and agriculture are central to climate action efforts at COP28 and [they must] ensure priority is given to dealing with factory-farm emissions within countries’ nationally determined contributions [climate action plans],” it said.