According to the UN, animal agriculture is responsible for at least 14.5% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. And that's likely an underestimate. Animal agriculture plays major role in the production of climate super pollutants, like nitrous oxide and methane. The EPA states that in the U.S., animal agriculture is responsible for 36% of human caused methane emissions. 

According to a study in Science Magazine we are headed towards climate tipping points, which means that changes to the climate system become self-perpetuating after reaching a certain level of warming. This is taking into account that we stay within the Paris Climate Agreement, and we are currently not on track to meet these goals. 

The focus of climate response has been on carbon, which is important.  However, we have an opportunity to make a faster positive impact by putting more emphasis on methane. Methane evaporates from our atmosphere after 20 years, whereas carbon stays in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. Findings of a study that came out in May in the National Academy of Science showed that if we only cut carbon dioxide, and not focus on super pollutants like methane as well, we will actually speed up global warming on the short term. 

“Our interactions with animals in the natural world are important because they create the conditions that encourage the spillover of pathogens from animals to people.”

 Scientists estimate that six out of every ten infectious diseases spread from animals to humans. Three out of four emerging infectious diseases come from animals. Conditions for spillover events include deforestation and destruction of habitats, new contact between wild animals and people, and wild animals and domestic animals.

Climate change is causing previously geographically isolated animals to move into contact with each other thus increasing the risk of disease. Animal agriculture itself creates conditions for the emergence and amplification of epidemics. You have buildings of animals intensively confined, widespread use of antibiotics, which can give rise to antimicrobial resistance. The large scale breeding of genetically similar animals creates a risk of mutation and a rapid spread of disease.

 “Protecting Animals for their sake”

We have state laws that prohibit animal cruelty, but farm animals are exempt. There's no federal law that governs the treatment of animals during their life.  If it's a practice that the animal agriculture industry customarily or typically engages in, it is legal. Daina challenges this by sharing that there is a growing scientific understanding that animals (including famr animals) are sentient beings, with the capacity to feel positive and negative feelings, joy and pain, pleasure and distress. She asks: “If we know this, doesn’t it make sense to take steps to not cause them suffering?”

“Exciting animal law tools”

Daina has been an advocate for animal rights for decades and she is seeing some very interesting developments in recent years that give her hope that there are legal tools that can be deployed, now that awareness is growing about the effect of animal agriculture on animals and the planet. 

Prop 12 in California is breaking new ground, with a law that takes suffering of farm animals into account for the first time. It's described as the strongest armed Animal Protection Law in the world. Daina states that when examining the law closely it is still quite modest and moderate. It prohibits extreme confinement of egg laying hens and holding field calves and pregnant kids in cages so small that they can't turn around. Nevertheless Prop 12 is a unique initiative that started from activism and after a long road got a majority vote. It was backed by the people and that means we can all be agents of positive change.

Some other hopeful local developments…Washington DC passed the Green New Purchasing Act, calling for a 25% reduction in the city government's food-related greenhouse gas emissions. Berkeley adopted a Green Monday where they will serve only plant-based foods at all city facilities every Monday. San Diego passed a new climate plan, which pledges to reduce the city's meat and dairy related emissions by 20%. 

On a federal level Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), the prior speaker of the speaker series, has introduced the Farm Systems Reform Act, which cracks down on monopolistic practices in the agriculture system, and invests in the transition to a more resilient system. 

Daina herself is leading Yale Law School’s climate change and animal agriculture litigation initiative studies opportunities for litigation in U.S. courts for the impact of animal agriculture on climate change. She also joined the fight around food labeling, in which plantbased food can uphold the right to use words like: (plant based) milk, butter and burger.