Climate and animal health: how to defuse a ticking time bomb

After Climate Week in New York set the scene for the upcoming COP29 climate talks, I was delighted to participate in The Economist Impact’s recent Countdown to COP event to share insights on how improvements in animal health can help tackle both climate and hunger crises.

The data is alarming – under business as usual, livestock emissions are forecasted to rise by nearly 50% by 2050, exacerbating climate change, which in turn threatens both livestock health and human health with more frequent and severe disease outbreaks. However, we have the tools to not only avoid this increase, but drastically decrease emissions while reducing hunger worldwide.

Why Animal Health Matters

Each year, 20% of livestock production is lost to disease, which is a double blow to both food security and agricultural emissions. Livestock lost to disease means less food for people to eat, but it also requires more livestock to make up for losses, which is associated with higher emissions. Overall, this 20% loss is equivalent to the annual meat consumption of 1.6 billion people, which, when we consider that as many as one in ten around the world went hungry in 2022, shows that improved animal health is a clear priority.

My key point is this: healthier animals produce more meat, milk and eggs, increase incomes for farmers, and reduce emissions. Research commissioned by HealthforAnimals has shown that reducing global livestock disease levels by just 10% on average would lead to a drop of more than 800 million tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, equivalent to the average annual emissions of close to 120 million Europeans.

Proven Solutions

The good news is there are tried and tested methods to make this happen. Studies have shown that controlling disease in livestock systems could reduce GHG emissions by as much as 22.5% in pigs; 11.3% in poultry; and 9.1% in cattle.

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Many animal health improvement practices – vaccines, parasite control, feed additives, and other tools – are “scale neutral”, meaning they can be deployed on any farm around the world. What’s more, they can be used across the livestock management industry, including in organic production or conventional; in feedlots or grass fed; and in emerging or developed markets.

Overall, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that a combination of animal health innovation, increased productivity and better practices in areas like nutrition could cut livestock emissions by 2/3rds.

Barriers to Progress

Despite these solutions, barriers exist. Disease prevention requires investment, which is particularly challenging for emerging markets. While there is hope with the recent UN Declaration calling on countries to fully fund vaccination plans, more collaboration across animal health finance is needed. International trade is a present challenge too, as some countries refuse to import vaccinated animals, which disincentivizes prevention and encourages culling. Moving forward, lowering trade barriers and greater knowledge-sharing will be integral.

What Next?

Governments must prioritize animal health in national plans and policies, distributing educational and financial support across the livestock sector. Developing nations will also need support and coordinating help for them to create sustainable food systems of their own, supported by improved animal health will rightly be the responsibility of high-income nations.

As we approach COP29, animal health must be a principal part of major global climate talks. Healthier animals will lead to a more sustainable world, but political will is the key ingredient for making this happen.