The United Nations Food and Agriculture Association (FAO) has recently published a report which details how the dairy industry decreased its emissions from 2005-2015.
Over a ten-year period from 2005-2015, global dairy production grew by 30% in order to meet consumer demand, at the same time reducing emissions by nearly 11% from 2.8kg to 2.5kg CO2 equivalents per kilogram of dairy goods produced.
Martial Bernoux, natural resources officer from FAO’s Climate and Environment Division commented: “The report also recognises there is more for the sector to do to play their part in mitigating climate change. We encourage the dairy sector to build on the progress to date, by using this analysis and others like it to identify and implement appropriate and sustainable solutions that provide nutritious food for the growing world population”.
Low- and middle-income countries showed the largest reductions in emission intensity, as productivity is traditionally lower in such regions compared to higher-income parts of the world.
Robin Mbae, deputy director of livestock production, State Department of Livestock, Kenya, noted how the Kenyan government is still aiming to reduce 30% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Kenya is pursuing the development of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs).
According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), NAMAs are initiatives which support in the reduction of emissions in developing countries. The UNFCC also states that: “NAMAs are supported and enabled by technology, financing, and capacity-building.”
Initiatives such as NAMAs will further the pursuit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the dairy industry, which could then impact positively on how consumers view the dairy sector overall.
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