GHG Emissions

Time for US and EU to regulate factory farms’ greenhouse gas emissions

The largest hog and dairy operations in the U.S. are run more like factories than farms. They concentrate thousands of animals indoors and produce massive amounts of manure, which is often turned into liquid and sprayed on farm fields. This factory farm system is a major source of the potent greenhouse gas (GHG) methane. Yesterday, U.S.

Questions and Answers: Milking the Planet

IATP welcomes an informed debate on all our publications. Our June 2020 report, Milking the Planet: How Big Dairy is heating up the planet and hollowing rural communities, has generated strong responses from the dairy industry and conversations on social media.

How Minnesota should consider climate change and approval of factory farms

Minnesota is off-track to meet its greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals set in the 2007 Next Generation Energy Act. An important process for reviewing new projects could help put Minnesota back on track, and the state wants your input by the end of this month.

New EPA emissions data should guide Biden on agriculture and climate

“We must listen to science — and act,” reads President Joe Biden’s January 27 Executive Order on climate change. For the farming sector, the latest greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicates that the U.S. needs to transition away from factory farm systems of meat and dairy production to reduce rising agriculture emissions.

Paris Agreement: Biden's chance to restore international standing

The following op-ed originally appeared on The Hill on January 22, 2021. 

Smithfield’s false claims

Global pork giant Smithfield Foods makes a lot of claims about the environmental sustainability of its products and hog production system.

Making carbon trading globally legitimate: the road show has begun

When companies seek to attract investors, they go on “road shows” to pitch their goods, services and projected Return on Investment (RoI).

A roadmap for the Biden-Harris administration: Re-designing farm systems for the climate crisis

As the Biden-Harris transition team rapidly fills key cabinet positions and senior leadership, it also is setting priorities for the first 100 days. If the “Build Back Better” mantra is to become reality, particularly in advancing equitable solutions to the climate crisis, the transition team will have to think systemically — not just agency by agency.

Climate, land use change and the EU-Mercosur Agreement: Accelerating tipping points

Provisions in the EU-Mercosur FTA conflict with ambitious climate action. If enacted, the agreement would result in an increase in EU imports of primary agricultural commodities from a region critical for maintaining global biodiversity and regulating climate. Based on available information, if ratified, the EU-Mercosur agreement would:

Time for the UNFCCC to get serious about industrial livestock’s climate footprint

Governments discussed the role of livestock production in connection to the climate crisis last week as part of the UNFCCC Climate Dialogues in lieu of the 26th Conference of Parties (COP) — the major climate conference where governments ne