Rising temperatures driven by climate change are increasing heat stress in farmed animals globally, requiring urgent adaptation through shade provision, ventilation, cooling systems, and selective breeding.
Heat stress in farmed animals is one of the most direct welfare consequences of climate change, affecting billions of animals across multiple species. Unlike many welfare problems that require changes in farming philosophy, heat abatement is primarily a technical and economic challenge — the solutions are largely known. Shade, ventilation, and cooling systems demonstrably reduce heat stress and improve both welfare and productivity, creating economic incentives that should theoretically accelerate adoption. The barrier is capital investment, particularly for smallholder farmers in tropical regions who bear the heaviest burden of climate-driven heat stress. Developed country governments and agricultural development agencies have a responsibility to support heat abatement capacity in vulnerable regions.