Greenhouse gas emissions from dairy cows have shown a decline globally over a 10-year period, a new study has found.
The study, conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Global Dairy Platform, calculated greenhouse gas emissions from the dairy sector from 2005-15 and found reductions in all regions of the world.
The analysis identified that, on average, greenhouse gases emitted in the production of milk have decreased in emissions per unit of product, by 11 percent — to 2.5 kilograms from 2.8 kg of carbon dioxide equivalents per kg of product produced.
The study reports that the largest reductions in emission intensity occurred in low and middle income countries with traditionally low productivity. While developed dairy regions also reduced the intensity of emissions, the FAO said the percentage improvement was not as substantial because these systems were already operating at much lower rates.
