Animal Welfare in Climate Policy

Climate change threatens animal welfare on a global scale, and climate policy should explicitly integrate animal welfare considerations alongside emissions and biodiversity goals.

Key Facts

Climate change is causing welfare harm to animals through heat stress, habitat loss, food insecurity and extreme weather
Livestock production contributes approximately 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions
Shifting diets toward lower-meat alternatives could simultaneously reduce emissions and improve farm animal welfare
Wildfire events have increased in frequency and severity, causing mass wildlife mortality and welfare harm
Marine heatwaves are causing coral bleaching, ocean acidification and disruption to marine food webs at an accelerating rate

Welfare Considerations

Climate and animal welfare policy have historically been developed in silos, missing important synergies and trade-offs. The most welfare-positive climate strategies - reducing farmed animal numbers through dietary transition - also have the greatest emissions benefits. Climate adaptation strategies for agriculture that maintain intensive farming for emissions efficiency may come at high welfare costs. Integrating welfare expertise into climate policy development is essential to identify co-beneficial solutions.

What You Can Do

Advocate for animal welfare considerations to be included in national climate adaptation plans
Support climate policies that incentivise dietary transitions toward plant-rich food systems
Engage with climate organisations about the welfare dimensions of their proposed solutions
Support research that quantifies the welfare co-benefits of different climate mitigation strategies
Choose lower-carbon foods that also meet higher animal welfare standards