Nature-based interventions are better at reducing livestock emissions than tech-based solutions, new research has found.
The study by the FAIRR Initiative, a network of responsible investors, assessed 22 interventions frequently cited by the agri-food sector as a way of addressing climate and nature risks from intensive livestock production, of which 12 were nature-based and 10 tech-based.
Overall, nature-based solutions had a greater positive impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and removals. They also scored more positively on biodiversity, freshwater use, chemical inputs and the flow of nutrients across ecosystems.
The nature-based interventions assessed included crop rotations and tree intercropping, while tech-solutions included synthetic animal feed additives (like the controversial bovaer) and large-scale anaerobic digesters for animal waste.
The research found that six nature-based interventions (biobased fertilisers, crop rotations, grazing optimisation, hedgerows, silvopasture and tree intercropping) are market-ready, could deliver a net return on investment within five years and show no evidence of significant negative trade-offs – versus just three tech-based interventions (animal health and performance management, farm irrigation efficiency and improved livestock infrastructure).
Despite this, nature-based interventions receive less public investment globally than tech-based interventions and together they represent just 0.1% of total climate-related public finance, despite livestock contributing up to 19.6% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
“The harms of intensive animal agriculture to people, planet and portfolios are too great to be ignored in the net-zero and nature transition,” said Jeremy Coller, chair and founder of FAIRR.
“Climate change is a significant accelerating risk, but with business-as-usual intensive livestock production posing a systemic risk to investor portfolios across seven planetary boundaries – investments in decarbonisation must be taken with an eye on the bigger picture.”
FAIRR is a collaborative investor network supported by institutions with over $75trn (£60trn) in combined assets. It works with investors to define the material ESG issues linked to intensive livestock and fish farming systems and ensure they are factored into investment decisions.
FAIRR said the new research can help investors understand and integrate nature-based solutions into portfolios to meet climate and nature goals more effectively.
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