• While cows account for 5% of global greenhouse emissions, we must also consider the many ways cows contribute to our ecosystem.
• The U.N. defines sustainable food systems as meeting people’s environmental, economic and social needs — and cows play a critical role in each of these areas.
• Cows are raised in very different contexts around the world, and there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to sustainability. Eighty percent of global livestock emissions come from developing countries, where improvements in animal husbandry and land management can make a huge impact on efficiency and productivity.
• The soil of grazing land stores carbon. Integrating crops and livestock grazing can pull more carbon into soil through plants’ roots. Grazed lands can even capture more carbon than is emitted by cows — like at Archbold’s Buck Island Ranch in Florida, which on average sequesters more carbon than it emits. This ability of soil to store carbon is one important part of cows’ overall environmental footprint, and many experts agree that it is a critical weapon in the battle against climate change.

Learn more about the environmental impact of cows in this fact sheet, which shares key findings from the documentary.