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TECH FLASH

Life-cycle analysis study suggests eating less meat

A recent Austrian and Dutch

July 9, 2012 study shows the production
of one kilogram of beef in
Brazil produces 335kg of
CO2, which corresponds
approximately to the
emissions of driving an
average European car for
more than 1,600 kilometers
(1,000 miles), according to
the study by Kurt
Schmidinger and Elke
Stehfest entitled Including
CO2 implications of land in
LCAs—method and example
 The study shows that 1 kg of Brazillian beef for livestock products. Even
exacts 335 kg of carbon dioxide emissions Dutch beef amounts to 22 kg
compared to Dutch beef (22 kg). Adding to CO2 or 111 kilometers in a
the problem is that grazing land can not be car.
counted as vegetated or forrested land that Schmidinger (University of
converts carbon dioxide to oxygen. Source: Vienna) and Stehfest (PBL
Data derived from Schmidinger/Stehfest Netherlands Environmental
study. Assessment Agency)
developed a fundamental enhancement of the commonly used life cycle assessment (LCA) method for
foods, which now appears online in the International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.

A key issue of relevance for the study is the integration into the calculations of the area used for
production in addition to the emissions resulting from the production of foods. Despite playing a
central role for the climate, area use effects have been ignored in climate balances until now.
Occupation of huge areas prevents natural vegetation from replenishing itself. This vegetation would
absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and stabilize the world climate.

With the now-published enhancement for LCAs, the area demand of a product is added as a missed
potential carbon sink to the emissions of the food production in the balance, according to the authors.

With 6.2 kg of CO2, 1kg of Dutch chicken meat has the lowest CO2-balance among animal products.
Schmidinger, a geophysicist and food scientist, warns of false conclusions. “Industrial livestock systems
are not simply viable options, even if their climate balances sometimes out-compete pasture systems.
Industrial livestock systems require enormous amounts of cropland, which is less available than
pastures; this, in turn, threatens global food security,” says Schmidinger.

“Global pandemics, antibiotic resistance, animal welfare problems, water pollution, soil erosion and
many more issues are associated with industrial livestock farming,” warns Schmidinger. “Plant-based
foods, on the other hand, perform signi cantly better when considering all ethical aspects of nutrition.”

Protein-rich, plant-based foods show by far the lowest CO2 scores in the study, with tofu producing
3.8kg of CO2 and tempeh producing 2.4kg of CO2.

When asked about the signi cance of CO2 levels of beef as they compare from Brazil vs. Holland or the
US, Schmidinger says, “It was not our goal to give an overall overview of beef produced in different
countries in different forms of livestock.” However, Schmidinger says the ethanol issue could also be
quanti ed in terms of CO2, based on his enriched LCA methods.

For more information on the study, visit Springerlink. Contact: Kurt Schmidinger, FEWD University
Vienna, Mobile: +43-676-3322107, mailto:kurt.schmidinger@futurefood.org or
mailto:kurt.schmidinger@univie.ac.at
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