Eating Less Meat Won't Curb Climate Change, Air Quality Expert Says

Monday, March 22, 2010 (American Meat Institute)

Consuming less meat will not reduce our greenhouse gas production, a leading air quality expert said on Monday, Agence France-Presse reports. Frank Mitloehner, a professor at the University of California-Davis, delivered his remarks during a conference of the American Chemical Society in California.

Mitloehner is the author of the published study, “Cleaning the Air: Livestock’s Contribution to Climate Change,” which asserts that despite often repeated claims, it is simply not scientifically accurate to blame livestock for climate change. The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Advances in Agronomy.

Mitloehner traces much of the public confusion over meat and milk’s role in climate change to a 2006 United Nations report, titled "Livestock's Long Shadow," which he says overstates the role livestock play in greenhouse gas emissions.

These statements are not accurate, yet their wide distribution through news media have put us on the wrong path toward solutions, Mitloehner said.

"We certainly can reduce our greenhouse-gas production, but not by consuming less meat and milk… but by increasing efficient meat production in developing countries, where growing populations need more nutritious food,” Mitloehner says.

To view the abstract of Mitloehner’s report, click here