The United States celebrates Independence Day with an interesting fact about its beef production. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Statistics, U.S. beef ranks among the least emission-intensive cattle meat globally. The emission intensity of U.S. beef is 13.54 kg CO₂e per kilogram of meat, with a total production of 12,357,232 metric tons.
Comparatively, Brazil produces 10,100,000 metric tons of beef with an emission intensity of 39.99 kg CO₂e/kg meat. The European Union follows with 6,923,681 metric tons and an intensity of 17.96 kg CO₂e/kg meat. China and India have higher emission intensities at 19.59 and 100.87 kg CO₂e/kg meat respectively.
A study by The Breakthrough Institute highlights a significant decline in the emission intensity of U.S. beef production by 38 percent from 1961 to 2022.
“Don’t worry, vegetarian friends—the United States is still climate-friendly in other food production as well,” reassures the report.
As people enjoy their cookouts on this holiday, these statistics offer another reason for Americans to celebrate their national achievements.