Opportunities for carbon sequestration from removing or intensifying pasture-based beef production

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Climate Science
• Agricultural Science

Background:

• Pastures cover one-third of Earth's land, supporting ruminant livestock.
• Livestock removal from pastures offers climate change mitigation via carbon sequestration.
• This presents a tradeoff between environmental benefits and food/fiber production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To globally evaluate the magnitude and distribution of the tradeoff between carbon sequestration and beef production on pastures.
• To quantify the "carbon opportunity intensity" of pastures at a 5-arcminute resolution.

Main Methods:

• Global assessment of carbon sequestration potential upon livestock removal.
• Analysis of the impact on global beef production.
• Modeling of potential production intensification to counterbalance losses.

Main Results:

• Removing cattle from high-carbon intensity pastures could sequester 34 (22–43) GtC (125–158 GtCO2), exceeding recent global fossil CO2 emissions.
• This results in a minor global loss of 13% (9–18%) of pasture-based beef production, concentrated in high-income nations.
• Simultaneous intensification of beef production in low-carbon intensity areas could fully compensate for global production loss.

Conclusions:

• The "carbon opportunity intensity" framework aids policy for ecosystem restoration and minimized food loss.
• Strategic intensification of beef production can balance climate goals with food security.
• Further research needed for local-scale estimates and broader environmental indicator integration.