Cheese
On global average, producing 1 kg of Cheese emits about 23.9 kg CO₂e, uses 87.8 m² of land and withdraws 5,605 litres of fresh water.
- Greenhouse gas emissions23.9kg CO₂e per kgRank 7 of 38
- Land use87.8m² per kgRank 3 of 38
- Freshwater withdrawals5,605litres per kgRank 1 of 38
- Emissions per 100 g protein10.8kg CO₂e per 100 g proteinRank 5 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, Cheese emits 13 times as much as Beans, lentils & other pulses.
In everyday terms
140 km
The emissions from 1 kg of Cheese are about the same as driving 140 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.