US EditionStudy: Climate Change Could Halve Global Grazing Lands by 2100
Global grazing land could shrink by up to 65% under high-emission scenarios, threatening food security for over 100 million pastoralists and 1.6 billion animals, study finds.
- On February 9, a PNAS study led by Chaohui Li found 36–50% of suitable grazing land could be lost by 2100, threatening over 100 million pastoralists and 1.6 billion animals.
- Researchers identified a `safe climatic space` for grazing, which will shrink as rising temperatures shift and contract these zones globally, according to a study in PNAS.
- In Africa, the study finds suitable grasslands could fall 16% under low emissions and up to 65% if fossil fuels expand, with key grazing zones shifting southward beyond continental edges.
- Authors highlight a global trend called destocking, with nearly half of livestock production in areas where herds fell by about 12% over 25 years, raising wildfire and biodiversity challenges for land managers and policymakers.
- Researchers emphasize rapid emissions cuts and conclude `Reducing emissions by rapidly moving away from fossil fuels is the best strategy we have to minimize these potentially existential damages for livestock farming`, highlighting urgent need for regional research.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Overlooked decline in grazing livestock brings risks and opportunities
For decades, researchers have focused on the problem of overgrazing, in which expanding herds of cattle and other livestock degrade grasslands, steppes and desert plains. But a new global study reveals that in large regions of the world, livestock numbers are substantially declining, not growing — a process the authors call destocking.
Future heatwave exposure of the European cattle sector - npj Sustainable Agriculture
Among the many climate change impacts on the European cattle sector, heatwaves lead to some of the most profound impacts on the sector. It is therefore of utmost importance to estimate to what extent the European cattle sector can be exposed to heatwaves in the near future. Using outcomes of climate models, we analysed how cattle production systems in the wider European Union (EU) region will be exposed to changes in heatwave exposure under two …
Climate change could halve areas suitable for cattle, sheep and goat farming by 2100
A new study conducted at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) shows that grassland-based grazing systems—currently covering a third of Earth's surface and representing the world's largest production system—will see a severe contraction as global temperatures rise. Depending on the scenario analyzed, 36–50% of the land with suitable climatic conditions for grazing today will experience a loss of viability by 2100, affecting mor…
© lkpro / depositphotos.com Climate change halved to 2100 global pastures. Millions of people lose their livelihoods due to heat, drought and extreme rain.
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