Media Outlets Misrepresent UN Climate Report Regarding Agriculture

(BRUSSELS, BELGIUM) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nation’s (UN) body for assessing the science related to climate change, recently released a report regarding the global impact of climate change on sustainable land management and food security. Overall, the findings of the report are largely balanced and conclude that human activity is causing significant damage to the world’s lands, and a substantial transformation of the way we use land is needed to limit global warming. Unfortunately, initial reporting from some media outlets misrepresent the findings and selectively focus on reducing meat and dairy consumption as a primary mitigation strategy. This is not the case says the International Dairy Federation. The panel reviewed in detail current scientific literature for land-use and the role of plant-based and animal-sourced foods. The report is not about dietary recommendations and there is no specific recommendation to dramatically shift diets away from animal-sourced foods. Food production is just one of a number of potential areas considered in the report. In addition, the report states, “animal-sourced food produced in resilient, sustainable & low-GHG emission systems present major opportunities for adaptation and mitigation while generating significant co-benefits in terms of human health.”