Carbon emissions of animal-based food can be reduced by adjusting production and consumption of residents in China

Abstract

China is a major consumer of animal-based food and contributes greatly to livestock greenhouse gas emissions. Adapting to the growing demand for animal-based food and reducing its carbon emissions is a major challenge in achieving sustainable food production. The life cycle assessment (LCA) and Logarithmic Mean Divisia index (LMDI) were conducted to assess the carbon emissions and drivers of major animal-food production in China in 2020. The results showed that mutton had the highest carbon footprint (CF) in animal-based foods, followed by beef, pork, chicken, egg, and milk. Shandong province exhibited the highest carbon emissions from animal-based foods among provinces in China in 2020. Reducing food supply and improving the production environment were the important factors contributing to the reduction of animal-food carbon emissions. In contrast, consumption intensity and population were the main contributing factors to the increase in carbon emissions from animal-based foods. China has a surplus in animal-based foods in 2020, especially in pork, eggs and milk, with Shandong province having the most marked food surplus at provincial level. Based on the surplus or deficit of animal-based food in different provinces, we proposed a production scheme under the premise of meeting the consumption demand of Chinese residents and incorporating the target of reducing emission potential, and the scheme may achieve a emission reduction potential of 231.3 million tons of CO₂-eq in 2020, which accounts for 41.5 % of the carbon emissions before reducing production and cross-regional transport. This study provides a reference for achieving the goal of sustainable food production in China.