Carbon footprint of pet ownership

Just as it was revealed that pet ownership in the UK has soared during lockdown, a study shows the actual impact of such pet ownership on the planet.

Nearly half of all Britons who currently own a pet got at least one other during lockdown, and 10% of those households without a pet intend to get one in the next six months. The surge in popularity of pet ownership was uncovered by research that was carried out by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the investment company LetterOne.

The research comes just as the University of Edinburgh revealed analysis of the carbon footprint of pet food production, with an area equivalent to twice the size of the UK being used to produce dry food for cats and dogs each year, and that the industry is emitting more greenhouse gases than countries such as Mozambique and the Philippines.

The team analysed data on the main ingredients of more that 280 types of dry pet food available, which accounts for 95% of all pet food sales in the US and Europe, regions which account for two thirds of global sales. Around 49 million hectares of agricultural land is used to make this food including the crop plants of maize, rice of wheat. Associated greenhouse gas emissions of 106 million tonnes of carbon dioxide were recorded, a country producing such levels would be the worlds sixtieth highest emitter.