Emissions Impossible

The report finds that 15 major meat and dairy companies produce combined methane emissions of 12.8 million tonnes, representing 11.1% of global livestock-related methane. These emissions exceed the total methane footprints of countries like Russia, Canada, and Australia. The authors highlight a severe lack of corporate transparency, noting that 60% of the analyzed companies fail to report total supply chain (scope 3) emissions. The report criticizes governments for relying on 'techno fixes' like anaerobic digesters rather than reducing livestock numbers, and calls for binding targets and a just transition toward agroecology.

• The combined methane emissions of 15 major meat and dairy corporations are estimated at 12.8 million tonnes, which is approximately 3.4% of all global anthropogenic methane emissions and 11.1% of global livestock-related methane.
• The methane emissions of these 15 companies are higher than the total methane footprints of several countries, including Russia, Canada, Australia, and Germany, and are 52% higher than the EU's livestock-related methane emissions.
• JBS is identified as the largest emitter in the sector, with methane emissions that exceed the combined livestock emissions of France, Germany, Canada, and New Zealand, and account for roughly 40% of the total emissions of the 15 companies studied.
• Total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the 15 companies amount to approximately 734 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, a figure higher than the total emissions of Germany.
• There is a significant lack of corporate transparency regarding emissions; 60% of the companies analyzed either do not report emissions or omit scope 3 (supply chain) emissions, and none reported supply chain methane emissions.
• When using a 20-year global warming potential (GWP20) metric to reflect short-term climate urgency, methane represents an average of 72% of the total emissions of these companies.
• Most countries signatory to the Global Methane Pledge have not implemented specific plans for livestock methane, and several major producers, including the US, Brazil, China, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, have seen livestock methane emissions increase over the last decade.
• The report argues that 'techno fixes' such as anaerobic biogas digesters are insufficient and may perversely incentivize the expansion of industrial animal agriculture while failing to address ammonia and nitrous oxide pollution.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2022). Emissions Impossible. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Emission-Impossible-Full.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Emissions Impossible. 2022. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Emission-Impossible-Full.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Emissions Impossible |date=November 2022 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Emission-Impossible-Full.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2022emissions, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Emissions Impossible}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Emission-Impossible-Full.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }