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THREAD: Let's talk about meat, animal farming, climate change & biodiversity.
In 2021, a series of global conferences will discuss how to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss. Big stories about greenhouse gases from cows and rewilding landscapes are dominating debates.
In 2021, a series of global conferences will discuss how to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss. Big stories about greenhouse gases from cows and rewilding landscapes are dominating debates.
Some campaigners are practically calling for the end of livestock farming, and dramatic changes in grazing landscapes. As researchers who work with pastoralists, we are looking critically at these calls in 2021 through new research & a series of commentaries on our blog.
It's important *who* produces meat and animal products, and *how*. For example, estimates of the climate impacts of livestock are based on limited models, and assumptions that don't account for uncertainties and how livestock interact with wider systems. https://pastres.org/2018/05/11/should-we-blame-livestock-for-climate-change/
There are calls for rewilding and changes to land use in large areas of drylands and savannahs, where pastoralists live & work. But what are the alternatives in dry and remote areas for those reliant on livestock for their livelihoods? https://pastres.org/2021/01/08/climate-biodiversity-and-livestock-big-debates-for-2021/
Which kinds of livestock farming are the most damaging, and could & should change - and which are more beneficial to people and landscapes? These are urgent questions, as the voices and knowledge of pastoralists often go unheard.
In our study sites - in Southern Europe, East Africa, Amdo Tibet, Tunisia and Gujarat - pastoralists make use of marginal landscapes and hard, uncertain conditions to provide a living and food many, in spaces where other sources of food & income are very hard to come by.
In the UK, policy debates around livestock & climate are led by simple stories. Stats can get abused, & top-down visions of diets are uncritically accepted. Rewilding that includes animals, and regenerative agriculture could offer space for alternatives. https://pastres.org/2021/01/15/climate-change-and-livestock-in-the-uk-the-politics-of-policy-processes/
Concerns about industrial meat production are very important in addressing climate change and biodiversity. But rather than dismissing all animal agriculture, they should prompt us to explore variety of alternatives, including the voices of pastoralists. https://pastres.org/2021/01/08/climate-biodiversity-and-livestock-big-debates-for-2021/
If you have views on this, we'd love to hear them! Your questions will help us to make sure our blog responds to the different views that people have on these important debates.
