Dairy Products Are High Carbon - CleanTechnica

The article from CleanTechnica highlights the significant greenhouse gas emissions associated with dairy production. Dairy cows, as ruminants, produce methane—a potent greenhouse gas—through enteric fermentation, while their manure and urine release nitrous oxide, another powerful greenhouse gas. Additional emissions arise from fossil fuel use in growing cattle feed, fertilizer production, land conversion for pasture, and energy-intensive processes involved in dairy product manufacturing and distribution. Methane from cattle is particularly impactful, being 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide in warming the atmosphere, despite its shorter atmospheric lifespan. Beyond direct emissions, the article points out inefficiencies and waste in the dairy supply chain, such as milk that is produced but not consumed, which decomposes and generates methane. Dairy products like ice cream and cheese further contribute to carbon emissions due to energy-intensive processing and storage, often relying on fossil-fuel-based electricity. Cheese, especially hard varieties, has a notably high carbon footprint—almost double that of chicken per unit of protein—because