October 07, 2024

Global climate and development agenda must consider animal health

topic:	Conservation
tags:	#climate action, #animal welfare, #SDG, #Climate Week
located:	USA, Ghana
by:	Carel du Marchie Sarvaas

As world leaders and decision-makers gather at UN meetings and Climate Week in the coming weeks to shape the future of the planet, they must account for all life on earth - including animals.

Factoring animals in the global climate and development agenda is not only for sentimental reasons or to protect animal rights and welfare, as important as this is. In every country around the world, animals also play a fundamental role in the health and well-being of people, the environment and economies. Healthy animals are a lynchpin of a healthy and sustainable future.

food security 

Animals provide the nutrient-dense meat, milk and eggs that help our children grow, they contribute in all forms to healthy ecosystems and biodiversity and they support livelihoods for more than a billion people, including half of the world’s poor.

But despite the importance of healthy animals to human and planetary health, the field is often overlooked when it comes to global commitments and investment.

For example, the UN’s Pact for the Future does not refer to animals, livestock or the integrated concept of "One Health" that represents the interconnectedness of people, animals and environment.

Yet mounting evidence shows how improvements in animal health can support sustainable global development.

The most direct benefit from healthier animals is greater food and nutrition security. Every year, an estimated one in five food-producing animals is lost to diseases, a growing number of which are preventable through vaccination and other veterinary tools.

More than 700 million people are estimated to be facing hunger and malnutrition around the world, yet by simply expanding livestock vaccination, this number could be dramatically reduced. A recent study indicated that one person is spared from under-nutrition for every two cattle vaccinated against disease.

Planetary health and economic stability

Improving animal health and reducing outbreaks of common diseases can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, helping countries meet their climate goals.

Diseases like avian flu and foot and mouth disease drive up emissions as resources are invested in raising livestock, only for their milk, meat or eggs to be lost when disease strikes. This means more animals are ultimately raised to meet consumer demand.

This is why the UN recently identified better animal health and improved vaccination coverage as one of the primary ways to improve livestock sustainability in the coming decades. Disease prevention can deliver significant emissions reductions, such as a 22.5 per cent cut when preventing a common respiratory disease in pigs.

Finally, improvements in animal health can significantly improve farm productivity and the incomes of producers as a result. This is most impactful in developing economies, where more than a billion people depend on the livestock sector for jobs, livelihoods and economic growth.

One study found that livestock keepers in Ghana lost on average USD 1,500 a year because of disease outbreaks, in a country where per capita income was just over $2,100 a year. Globally, producers lose $300 billion every year to disease. Vaccinating livestock and reducing disease rates can help ensure livestock production offers a sustainable livelihood.

The urgency of tackling global challenges is increasing as we approach the 2030 deadline for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the planetary tipping points associated with global temperature rises.

Not only do animals deserve to feature in global plans for the future, but the world’s future also depends on the inclusion of healthy, productive animals.

Carel du Marchie Sarvaas is the executive director of HealthforAnimals, a global animal health association.

Image by Nathan Cima.