The figures and calculations on the share of animal agriculture in climate change differ widely. The most common and at the same time smallest figure (14.5%) comes from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Here it must be taken into account that the FAO is steered and financed by all global animal industries.
The following slides provide an overview of various analyses, their calculations and main issues.
A tabular one-page overview (PDF) incl. list of references and links to all references can be downloaded here:
Based on the input of customizable parameters, this online calculator allows the calculation of the contributions of livestock and fossil fuel industries to global warming:
Short-lived climate forcers (SLCFs)
Most studies do not consider the short-term but very strong effects of methane, and even all studies do not consider cooling aerosols at all. "Short-lived climate forcers" (SLCFs) are anthropogenically emitted, short-lived gases with atmospheric lifetimes ranging from hours to a few years. They can have both cooling and heating effects. Ignoring these gases can lead to fatal phase-out strategies from climate-damaging industries.
