We have activists that try to throw the dairy industry under the bus any chance they get, claiming dairy’s a huge player in greenhouse gas emissions. Luckily, we have the truth thanks to a study that was published in the Journal of Dairy Science. The study said that the United States dairy industry contributes 1.5% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Only 1.5%.
Now specifically looking at dairy cows. The study went as far as calculating how significant the reduction in emissions would be if the country had no dairy cows whatsoever. Even if all dairy cows were removed, it would only reduce dairy’s impact by 7/10 of 1%. Basically, it would cut greenhouse gas emissions from the dairy industry by half. That meaning half of the 1.5% the industry contributes at the moment.
The study went on to explain that in this hypothetical land where we have no dairy cows, it’d also create other issues. For example, dairy helps give the daily calcium and protein requirements to millions of Americans. When it comes to protein, dairy’s responsible for 254 million people reaching their daily dose. For calcium it’s responsible for 169 million people reaching their suggested daily amount. This shows how little greenhouse gas the dairy industry emits and also how important the industry is as a whole.
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