CO2? Catch 22!

That is why almost 200 state parties signed the Paris Agreement in 2016, an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), dealing with greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation.

The main goal of the agreement is to decrease global warming, holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, recognising that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change. For that CO₂ emissions should drop up to 40% by 2030, compared to 1990 (EU target).

As there are many contributors to CO₂ production, everyone has its own reduction targets to pursue. That includes livestock production. And there is the catch. With global demand for food (especially CO₂ heavy meat) rising, greenhouse gas reduction is a real headache.

The trend for more welfare and slower growing breeds with a little less feed efficiency, is also moving in the opposite direction of what is agreed upon in Paris. Feeding more people with more cannot be done with less CO₂ emission, even with the super-efficient poultry production process. To be able to meet reduction targets, compensation at other CO₂ sources, in other sectors is the only way out. This will come at a price, but food is an absolute necessity of life, to keep people healthy and at peace.