Source record
Reducing climate impacts of beef production: a synthesis of life cycle assessments across management systems and global regions
Daniela Cusack, et al. (2021). Global Change Biology.
- Last reviewed
- Reviewer
- Editorial placeholder
- Status
- sample
Sample data. The figures and sources on this page are demonstration records showing how evidence will be presented. They are approximate and have not yet been through our review process. Read about how we will verify evidence.
Key findings
- Improved grazing management can reduce net emissions per kg of beef, but even the best systems remain well above the emissions of plant proteins.
Record
- Source type
- Peer Reviewed Study
- Study type
- Meta Analysis
- Topics
- Climate & emissions, Land use
- Geography
- Global
- Funding & conflicts
- Not recorded.
- Source quality
- Moderate evidence
Limitations
- Soil carbon gains are site-specific, saturate over time and can reverse.
Claims this source supports
EnvironmentModerate evidence
Well-managed grazing can store some carbon in soil, but not enough to offset cattle's own emissions, and grass-fed beef generally has higher emissions per kg than grain-finished beef.
Better, in some ways, but not low-impact. Soil carbon gains are real, limited, and temporary.