Blindspot: How lack of action on livestock methane undermines climate targets

The report highlights a critical failure by major livestock-producing nations and corporations to address methane emissions, despite the gas's high potency and short atmospheric lifespan. It finds that most assessed countries lack absolute methane reduction targets and that the largest meat and dairy companies fail to report methane emissions separately or implement concrete abatement plans. The document advocates for a systemic transition toward plant-rich diets and the implementation of both technical and behavioral mitigation measures to meet Paris Agreement goals.

• Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 86 times greater than carbon dioxide on a 20-year timescale, but it has a short climate response time of approximately 12 years.
• The livestock sector is the primary source of human-induced methane, with enteric fermentation and manure management accounting for over 30% of all anthropogenic methane emissions.
• To limit global warming to 1.5°C, human-induced methane emissions must be reduced by 45% by 2030, yet current trends show an annual increase of 0.5%, consistent with warming of 3–5°C.
• Most assessed countries have seen livestock-related methane emissions remain stable or increase; for example, the Netherlands reported a 6.5% increase over a five-year period.
• New Zealand and Uruguay are the only assessed countries with livestock-specific methane targets, but these are deemed weak, focusing on a 10% reduction in New Zealand and emission intensity in Uruguay.
• An assessment of 20 global meat and dairy giants showed a severe lack of commitment: none report methane emissions separately, and none have concrete targets or action plans to reduce methane in their operations and value chains.
• Corporate performance in the assessment was generally poor, with Nestlé scoring the highest at 34.6% and Groupe Bigard scoring 0%.
• The Global Methane Pledge, aiming for a 30% reduction by 2030, is criticized for focusing on technical measures for farmers rather than systemic reductions in livestock numbers through dietary shifts.
• Technical abatement measures, such as feed additives (e.g., Asparagopsis algae), could reduce enteric methane by 30-99% in labs, but behavioral changes to reduce meat and dairy demand are necessary for larger absolute reductions.

APA

Urbancic, N., & Rautner, M. (2021). Blindspot: How lack of action on livestock methane undermines climate targets. Changing Markets Foundation. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Blindspot_final.pdf

Chicago

Urbancic, Nusa, and Mario Rautner. Blindspot: How lack of action on livestock methane undermines climate targets. Changing Markets Foundation, 2021. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Blindspot_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Urbancic |first1=Nusa |last2=Rautner |first2=Mario |title=Blindspot: How lack of action on livestock methane undermines climate targets |publisher=Changing Markets Foundation |date=October 2021 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Blindspot_final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{urbancic2021blindspot, author = {Urbancic, Nusa and Rautner, Mario}, title = {{Blindspot: How lack of action on livestock methane undermines climate targets}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Blindspot_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }