Beef (dairy herd)
On global average, producing 1 kg of Beef (dairy herd) emits about 33.3 kg CO₂e, uses 43.2 m² of land and withdraws 2,714 litres of fresh water.
- Greenhouse gas emissions33.3kg CO₂e per kgRank 4 of 38
- Land use43.2m² per kgRank 5 of 38
- Freshwater withdrawals2,714litres per kgRank 5 of 38
- Emissions per 100 g protein16.9kg CO₂e per 100 g proteinRank 4 of 15
per kilogram, global average
Compared with other foods
Greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of food (kg CO₂e).
- Beef (beef herd)99.5
- Beef (dairy herd)33.3
- Cheese23.9
- Poultry9.87
- Tofu3.16
- Beans, lentils & other pulses1.79
Per kilogram, Beef (dairy herd) emits 19 times as much as Beans, lentils & other pulses.
In everyday terms
196 km
The emissions from 1 kg of Beef (dairy herd) are about the same as driving 196 km in an average petrol car.
Lower-impact alternatives
Foods that can take a similar place on your plate, with a smaller climate footprint.
More food footprints
Method and data
Footprints vary between farms and countries, but the difference between types of food is usually far larger than the difference between producers of the same food.
Values are global averages from Poore & Nemecek (2018), who compiled data from about 38,700 farms in 119 countries, as published by Our World in Data. Emissions include land-use change, farming, processing, transport, packaging and retail. Real products vary by farm and region; use these figures to compare food types, not individual brands.