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Cows and climate: Facts from the documentary

A closer look at what cows contribute to our world

Explore

Cows and climate: Facts from the documentary

A closer look at what cows contribute to our world

Cows are often front and center in conversations about climate change and emissions, as these animals are widely perceived as being harmful to the environment. But is that the whole story?

With a rare level of access to farmers, food producers and global experts, filmmakers Michelle Michael and Brandon Whitworth set out on a journey across the world to find out. What they discovered is that while cows do contribute to climate change, their comprehensive impact on our world is more complex and worth considering.

For example, cows also:

Support soil health by boosting soil fertility through manure and grazing
Nourish people by providing critical nutrients for humans that are not easily obtained from other sources
Upcycle waste by turning things we can’t eat into nutrient-dense food we need
Support carbon capture through regenerative grazing, which helps store carbon in the soil

Cows can be part of a sustainable food system

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.

World Without Cows is a Planet of Plenty® production. Working Together for a Planet of Plenty was launched in 2019 by Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, a global animal nutrition company. Planet of Plenty is a call for collaboration across industries and geographies to create and embrace science-based solutions that help agriculture provide nutrition for all, revitalize rural communities and replenish the planet’s natural resources.

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