Global distribution of beef production systems: Reconciling climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation and income

Lee, K. (2020). Global distribution of beef production systems: Reconciling climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation and income. IIASA YSSP Report. Laxenburg, Austria: IIASA

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Abstract

Global demand for beef is growing rapidly, which is economically profitable for beef producing nations. Unfortunately, beef production also plays a significant role in depleting the world's rapidly declining biodiversity and increasing already record-high global emissions. The leve of beef demand and the intensity of the production system used to produce beef can alter the impact on GHG emissions and biodiversity. For example, intesificaion of production may reduce GHG emissions and could lead to land sparing for biodiversity conservation. Using a global economic model (GLOBIOM) we tested scenarios of livestock system shifts (shifts towards extensive or intensive livestock production systems) for two different levels of beef demand. This report describes the potential trade-offs (and co-benefits) between GHG emissions, biodiversity conservation, and regional economic impacts of livestock system shifts both in addition to and independent from demand reduction strategies from a global perspective. This report shows that demand reduction strategies have the greatest potential for environmental benefits, and strategies that combine demand reduction with intensification have the greatest benefit for GHG emissions, biodiversity and income. Despite these benefits, we found deforestation still greatly increased, with loss concentrated in Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub Saharan Africa and South-East Asia. This suggests that more ambitious and targeted strategies would ned to be explored to halt these losses.

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