In July, IATP and GRAIN released a first-of-its-kind report, Emissions Impossible. In it, our researchers examined and scrutinized the climate plans, or lack thereof, of 35 of the largest meat and dairy companies around the world.
Our research shows:
- The five largest meat and dairy corporations combined (JBS, Tyson, Cargill, Dairy Farmers of America and Fonterra) are already responsible for more annual greenhouse gas emissions than ExxonMobil, Shell or BP.
- The combined emissions of the top 20 meat and dairy companies surpass the emissions from entire nations, such as Germany, Canada, Australia or the United Kingdom.
- Most of the top 35 meat and dairy companies either fail to report emissions entirely, or exclude their supply chain emissions, which account for 80-90 percent of emissions. Only four companies provide comprehensive emissions estimates.
- Less than half of the top 35 meat and dairy companies have announced any type of emissions reduction targets. Out of these, only six include emissions generated from the supply chain.
- If the growth of the global meat and dairy industry continues as projected, the livestock sector as a whole could consume 80 percent of the planet's annual greenhouse gas budget by 2050.
IATP's Shefali Sharma and GRAIN's Devlin Kuyek were panelists for a webinar discussing the report and answering questions from the audience.
