Meat and Dairy Surpass Oil Companies as Largest Pollutants

The world’s five biggest meat and dairy producers emit more combined greenhouse gases than ExxonMobil, Shell, or BP, the top three oil production companies, according to a new report by GRAIN and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).  Researchers tracked greenhouse gas emissions for 35 of the largest producers of beef, pork, poultry, and dairy. Researchers found that the companies’ emissions are reaching dangerous levels due to unregulated growth and governmental subsidies to ensure inexpensive production costs and supplies such as animal grain. The report calls for a reduction of greenhouse gases by 38 billion tons by 2050. The report states that many of the largest meat and dairy producers do not report emissions, and many are increasing production with no efforts in place to reduce their emissions. If production remains unregulated, by 2050, meat and dairy farms will account for 80 percent of the budgeted greenhouse gas emissions.