--- title: Livestock Emissions Are Rising. That's Bad For The Climate description: Emissions from the world’s 20 largest publicly-listed meat and dairy companies rose 3.3% from 2022 levels, according to a new report. canonical: https://time.com/6332332/rising-livestock-emissions-undermine-climate-fight/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2023-11-07T14:52:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:50:46.478Z article:section: Climate og:title: Livestock Emissions Are Rising. That's Bad For The Climate og:description: Emissions from the world’s 20 largest publicly-listed meat and dairy companies rose 3.3% from 2022 levels. og:url: https://time.com/6332332/rising-livestock-emissions-undermine-climate-fight/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac1db949df74341e/698a421786f68e80006f2f30/cattle-livestock-emissions-climate-change-2023.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Ranchers Attend Regenerative Agriculture Training In Rural New Mexico og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Livestock Emissions Are Rising. That's Bad For The Climate twitter:description: Emissions from the world’s 20 largest publicly-listed meat and dairy companies rose 3.3% from 2022 levels. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac1db949df74341e/698a421786f68e80006f2f30/cattle-livestock-emissions-climate-change-2023.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Rising Livestock Emissions Undermine World’s Climate Fight > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. 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It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=dde213c7-aed6-49dc-a50c-4520afa6befd&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Friday (1x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 40,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 34.2% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 2.1% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Justin Worland, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Senior leaders shaping the climate transition. 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It reaches 40,000 subscribers with a 34.2% open rate and a 2.1% click rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Fighting Climate Change One Carrot at a Time [Watch (HLS stream): Fighting Climate Change One Carrot at a Time](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HWJWA4O1.m3u8) (1:58)  _Published 2023-10-26. At Eleven Madison Park, Chef Daniel Humm is getting more fine dining patrons to forego meat._ by [Agnieszka de Sousa / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Agnieszka de Sousa / Bloomberg Contributor Nov 7, 2023 2:52 PM UTC  Disclosed emissions from the world’s 20 largest publicly-listed meat and dairy companies rose 3.3% from 2022 levels, according to a report by investor network FAIRR Initiative. Disclosed emissions from the world’s 20 largest publicly-listed meat and dairy companies rose 3.3% from 2022 levels, according to a report by investor network FAIRR Initiative. Mario Tama—Getty Images by [Agnieszka de Sousa / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Agnieszka de Sousa / Bloomberg Contributor Nov 7, 2023 2:52 PM UTC Greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s top meat and dairy producers increased further this year, highlighting the urgent need for the food industry to clean its practices and help prevent global warming. Disclosed emissions from the world’s 20 largest publicly-listed meat and dairy companies rose 3.3% from 2022 levels, according to a report by investor network FAIRR Initiative. Its analysis includes companies like Hormel Foods Corp. and China’s New Hope Liuhe Co., which supply household names like Walmart Inc. and McDonald’s Corp. The [food industry’s climate footprint](https://time.com/6311793/climate-friendly-meat-myth/) is immense, accounting for about a third of global greenhouse gases. Livestock, which releases potent methane, makes up [14.5%](https://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode/) of worldwide emissions. The Science-Based Targets initiative, a UN-backed agency that evaluates companies’ net-zero goals, [recommends](https://sciencebasedtargets.org/resources/files/SBTiFLAGGuidance.pdf) that the food and agriculture sector cuts emissions by 3% a year between 2020 and 2030\. “The sector is just not on track,” said Thalia Vounaki, senior manager for research and engagements at FAIRR. ### More From TIME **Read more:** [_Cow Burps Have a Big Climate Impact. Solving That is Harder than You'd Think_](https://time.com/6251162/cow-burps-climate-impact-methane-emissions/) That underlines the need to focus on food and agriculture as world leaders gear up for the upcoming COP28 summit in Dubai later this month, FAIRR said in its report. The group of investors raises awareness about the environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities in the global food sector, and is backed by more than $70 trillion in assets. The United Arab Emirates has [called](https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/cop28-calls-on-governments-to-ensure-food-systems-and-agriculture-are-central-to-climate-action-efforts-301884207.html) for commitments to transform the food industry, while the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization is set to unveil a [net-zero roadmap](https://www.fao.org/climate-change/news/news-detail/on-the-road-to-net-zero-emissions-with-agrifood-system-solutions/) for the sector. FAIRR’s report highlights that some companies have managed to reduce their emissions, such as Tyson Foods Inc. and Danone SA. But overall there are varying levels of climate commitments and disclosure, it said. Almost two-thirds of the companies it analyzed didn’t disclose so-called Scope 3 emissions, which include those that occur indirectly along a company’s value chain. Only four out of top 20 companies in the sector have net-zero aims. **Read more:** [_The Cow That Could Feed the Planet_](https://time.com/6109450/sustainable-lab-grown-mosa-meat/) “We need to get these companies up to the same standard, irrespective of where they’re sitting,” Oshni Arachchi, head of active ownership at Danske Bank A/S, said in an interview. FAIRR’s sixth protein producer index has highlighted improvements made by the livestock industry, including in areas like alternative proteins, waste and pollution and water use, it said. While that shows “bad practice is not an inevitable part of the food supply ecosystem,” the investor group urged for more progress on environmental aspects. “We’ve long known that humanity can’t fix climate change without fixing the way we feed the world,” according to Jeremy Coller, private equity investor and founder of FAIRR. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6332332/rising-livestock-emissions-undermine-climate-fight/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6332332/rising-livestock-emissions-undermine-climate-fight/"},"headline":"Rising Livestock Emissions Undermine World’s Climate Fight","datePublished":"2023-11-07T14:52:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:50:46.478Z","description":"Emissions from the world’s 20 largest publicly-listed meat and dairy companies rose 3.3% from 2022 levels, according to a new report.","url":"https://time.com/6332332/rising-livestock-emissions-undermine-climate-fight/","keywords":["Food & Agriculture","climate change","wire","healthscienceclimate","bloomberg wire"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac1db949df74341e/698a421786f68e80006f2f30/cattle-livestock-emissions-climate-change-2023.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Agnieszka de Sousa / Bloomberg"}],"articleSection":"Climate","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac1db949df74341e/698a421786f68e80006f2f30/cattle-livestock-emissions-climate-change-2023.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Ranchers Attend Regenerative Agriculture Training In Rural New Mexico","caption":"Disclosed emissions from the world’s 20 largest publicly-listed meat and dairy companies rose 3.3% from 2022 levels, according to a report by investor network FAIRR Initiative.","creditText":"Mario Tama—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/climate/","name":"Climate"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/food-and-agriculture/","name":"Food & Agriculture"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6332332/rising-livestock-emissions-undermine-climate-fight/","name":"Rising Livestock Emissions Undermine World’s Climate Fight"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Fighting Climate Change One Carrot at a Time","description":"At Eleven Madison Park, Chef Daniel Humm is getting more fine dining patrons to forego meat.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/HWJWA4O1/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2023-10-26T20:47:21.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HWJWA4O1.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/6332332/rising-livestock-emissions-undermine-climate-fight/","duration":"PT1M58S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/6332332/rising-livestock-emissions-undermine-climate-fight/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```