Beef (beef herd)
On global average, producing 1 kg of Beef (beef herd) emits about 99.5 kg CO₂e, uses 326 m² of land and withdraws 1,451 litres of fresh water.
- Greenhouse gas emissions99.5kg CO₂e per kgRank 1 of 38
- Land use326m² per kgRank 2 of 38
- Freshwater withdrawals1,451litres per kgRank 10 of 38
- Emissions per 100 g protein49.9kg CO₂e per 100 g proteinRank 1 of 15
per kilogram, global average
Compared with other foods
Greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of food (kg CO₂e).
- Beef (beef herd)99.5
- Cheese23.9
- Poultry9.87
- Tofu3.16
- Beans, lentils & other pulses1.79
Per kilogram, Beef (beef herd) emits 56 times as much as Beans, lentils & other pulses.
In everyday terms
585 km
The emissions from 1 kg of Beef (beef herd) are about the same as driving 585 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.