Virtual Event, 13/10/2022
The FAO webinar marked the release of the latest estimates of livestock’s GHG emissions from an updated version of the model and launch the GLEAM Dashboard, an interactive web platform to visualise and analyse livestock emissions with a high level of detail.
Livestock and greenhouse gas emissions: Launch of the GLEAM Dashboard to access updated data
FAO’s Global Environmental Assessment Model (GLEAM) provides a wealth of high-resolution greenhouse gas (GHG) emission data relating to livestock systems globally. These estimates are used by diverse stakeholders – including the private sector, countries and international organizations – to understand the nature and origins of GHG emissions from livestock systems, and so to help design and plan effective climate action in the sector. The event marked the release of the latest estimates of livestock’s GHG emissions from an updated version of the model and launch the GLEAM Dashboard, an interactive web platform to visualize and analyze livestock emissions with a high level of detail.
Background and rationale
For more than 15 years, FAO’s Global Livestock Environmental Assessment Model (GLEAM) has been a key resource for data related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from livestock systems. GLEAM estimates are based on a life cycle assessment along the entire production chain whereby emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are allocated to animal-sourced foods (meat, milk, and eggs) both as total emissions and as emission per unit of produce. These detailed data are crucial to understanding the nature of GHG emissions in diverse regions and systems, and in planning GHG mitigation actions in the context of achieving sustainable development objectives.
The GLEAM Dashboard provides a highly interactive web interface to these data through a set of online visualization and analysis tools as well as web mapping technologies from FAO’s Hand-in-Hand geospatial platform. The GLEAM Dashboard can help livestock stakeholders, including farmers, countries, researchers, donors and international development agencies, as well as the general public, to better understand the sector’s impact and to make informed decisions regarding livestock emissions.
During the event, the GLEAM Dashboard was officially launched with a live demonstration of its key features and the latest (2015) estimates of GHG emissions, in relation to the upcoming IPCC Assessment. Representatives of key stakeholders and GLEAM collaborators from the private sector, countries, and organisations concerned with greenhouse gas emissions highlighted case studies that have used results from GLEAM to understand emissions and design mitigation projects.