Climate change poses growing threats to animal welfare through habitat disruption, extreme weather, and food system changes affecting billions of animals.
Climate change creates welfare challenges for animals through multiple pathways. Heat stress is increasingly problematic for both wild animals and livestock as temperatures rise and extreme heat events become more frequent. Wildlife populations whose habitat and food resources are climate-dependent face distribution shifts that can exceed their adaptive capacity - population collapses from food insecurity, breeding failure from mistimed seasons, and exposure to novel pathogens in new climate zones. Farmed animals in regions experiencing temperature extremes without adequate heat management suffer significantly during heat waves. The interconnection between livestock farming's climate contribution and the welfare consequences of climate change creates a feedback loop - systems producing large quantities of animal products contribute to the climate disruption that threatens all animals.