News

NCBA on UN climate report

The director of sustainable beef research with NCBA says the U.N.’s recent climate change report is not saying people should stop eating meat, as many in the media are reporting.

Sara Place points out that the report takes a global view.  She says there are areas of the world that emit more greenhouse gasses per unit of production than the U.S. – but they also need more meat production to feed their citizens…

“It’s more about what we would call the supply-side changes and in helping people get more productive and increase their production in an efficient manner is going to have a lot bigger impact than dietary change.”

Place says the UN report is not a criticism of U.S. livestock production but about making production worldwide better for the climate, “It’s more about how can we produce them in even better ways in the future and enhance all those good things that we’re doing to try to help draw down some more carbon out of the atmosphere as well.”

Place says sub-Saharan Africa, India and Brazil are places that need better climate-friendly livestock practices.