Cutting livestock methane emissions for stronger climate action

In recent decades, the number of livestock population, in particular cattle, sheep, goats and buffaloes increased tremendously due to an increasing demand for animal products. Most ruminant animals graze natural or managed pastures, or are fed with forages and other roughages, converting non-edible fibres into high quality animal products. Yet, ruminants also emit high quantity of methane into the atmosphere.

Globally, around 32 percent of global human-induced methane emissions come from livestock, mainly from enteric fermentation and manure management systems. Methane is produced as a by-product of the digestive process of ruminants and during the anaerobic fermentation of animal manure by Archaea bacteria. The amount of methane emitted depends on several factors, including the quality of feed, animal management and health, and the environment.

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and short-lived climate pollutants, responsible for about 0.5 °C of average temperature increase annually. Given its short lifespan and strong warm potential, lower methane concentrations would rapidly reduce the rate of warming making methane mitigation one of the most promising ways of limiting climate change in the near term. By joining the Global Methane Pledge, more than 120 countries have collectively committed to reduce methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030.

FAO’s work to reduce methane emissions from livestock

A transformative action of the livestock sector is now more crucial than ever. Since 2015, FAO has been working with countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to reduce enteric methane in ruminant production systems.

The FAO’s project “Reducing enteric methane for food security and livelihoods” funded by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition enables low and middle income countries to adopt several interventions to address enteric methane emissions in the livestock sector. These measures include feed and nutrition, animal health and husbandry, use of feed additives and methane inhibitors, and animal genetics and breeding for low methane.

Now in its third phase, the project aims to improve national livestock assessment trough better data measurement, reporting and verification frameworks; identify country-specific mitigation opportunities, technologies and interventions; and strengthen capacity building through technical trainings and knowledge transfer at the regional and national levels. In this 3 year phase of the project, FAO supports countries to integrate livestock specific interventions to tackle climate change.

Despite all the progress made, many are still the challenges faced by low and middle income countries today to set ambitious national methane reduction targets, necessary to reach the Paris Agreement goals. Global policy engagement, tailored research, and stronger cooperation among different livestock stakeholders are necessary to reduce methane emissions in the next eight years.

While countries are committed to raise their climate ambitions and actions in livestock systems, more efforts are needed to put in place policies and sustainable action plans to reduce methane by 2030 and to reach climate neutrality by 2050. New synergies between livestock stakeholders, governments, research institutes, the private sector and producer organizations are crucial to ensure the adoption of methane mitigation intervention at a global scale.

FAO works towards more sustainable livestock systems and provides members and different livestock stakeholders with the adequate technical support to integrate methane mitigation measures into national strategies, investments and policies.