Healthier animals, healthier people and a healthier planet

Improving animal health is a direct way to help stabilize the climate and boost people’s health and standards of living, particularly in lower-income countries. Animal health improvements are a climate solution ready to be deployed today.

When people are sick, they can’t exercise or work at their best. The same is true for livestock. Animals, such as cattle and buffalo, that aren’t in optimal health need to put their energy into fighting off illness. They then produce less milk per day and grow more slowly, reducing meat yields, while continuing to emit methane, a super pollutant greenhouse gas. And when an animal is sick, milk or meat often needs to be thrown away, increasing food waste.

Healthy livestock are more productive. They produce milk and meat with lower methane intensity and provide better incomes and nutrition for farming families and their communities around the world, especially smallholder farmers and pastoralists.

Methane is responsible for almost a third of current warming. Since livestock farming is one of the largest sources of human-caused methane emissions, reducing methane emissions from the sector is one of the fastest ways to slow climate change.

EDF is leading a global effort to improve animal health and climate outcomes

Many people are working on animal health interventions, and many others are working on climate improvements. EDF and our global partners are bridging the two efforts to deliver maximum shared wins for animals, people and the planet.

• Global innovation sprint: We launched an Aim for Climate Innovation Sprint at COP29. This first-of-its-kind coalition brings together philanthropies, public and private sectors, and scientists to align investments, accelerate research and target on-the-ground farmer supports. With an initial investment of nearly $1.5 million, the sprint will drive substantial additional investments and action before COP30. 
• Research: We are conducting research and convening expert panels to deepen scientific understanding of how animal health improvements lower methane emissions. 
• Technical assistance: We are supporting pilot projects to help smallholder farmers in select countries adopt practices that have animal health, social and environmental benefits.
• Global action for climate: We are working with governments to understand how they can implement policies and invest in animal health solutions to improve global nutrition, rural health and economic development, while also reducing emissions from livestock systems. 

In this crucial decade for solving the interconnected climate and hunger crises, animal health improvements — like preventative care and disease management — are a relatively simple way to quickly make a big difference.