Dairy and Beef Production Causes Significant Biodiversity Damage

Research conducted by the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford has uncovered that dairy and beef production accounts for 41% of biodiversity damage caused by farmland worldwide. This international study highlights that two-thirds of global carbon and biodiversity loss occurs on just one-third of agricultural land.

The study indicates that agriculture has already resulted in the loss of approximately 300 billion tonnes of stored carbon and has placed around 14% of species at risk of extinction due to land conversion. The most severe impacts are concentrated in regions such as South America, sub-Saharan Africa, and South-East Asia.

Animal-sourced foods, particularly beef and dairy, have the highest environmental impact, contributing 29% to total carbon loss and 41% to biodiversity loss. These foods require extensive land use, leading to significantly more carbon and biodiversity loss per calorie compared to plant-sourced foods.

The researchers proposed that restoring the most affected 30% of farmland to natural habitats could mitigate environmental damage. This restoration could save around 170 billion tonnes of carbon, equivalent to 15 years of global fossil fuel emissions, and prevent approximately 60% of the extinction risk associated with agricultural land.

Professor Paul Behrens from the Oxford Martin School emphasized that climate and biodiversity issues are interconnected and can be addressed simultaneously by targeting specific regions and foods. Baoxiao Liu from Leiden University's Institute of Environmental Sciences noted the often-overlooked environmental costs of food production and suggested that changes in daily food choices could have a significant impact.