Pet food carbon paw print
As published in the Financial Times, 2nd August 2024
Of course James Max, the FT’s “Rich People Problems” columnist, was being humourous when he lamented the soaring cost of pet bills (“We can’t afford another dog, can we?”, Opinion, FT Money, July 27). But pets are an even more expensive luxury than he realises. Moreover the rest of us are paying for it.
Max says he buys his dog food, half price, in Aldi, but many dogs munch on top quality fresh meat, without any of the carbon emissions priced into the pet food bill.
In 2017, Gregory Okin, a UCLA professor, made a splash when pointing out if America’s 163mn Fidos and Felixes comprised a separate country, their fluffy nation would rank fifth in global meat consumption behind only Russia, Brazil, the US and China.
Premium brands are over two times more emissions intensive than cheaper products. While you could argue that dog food may contain animal waste unsuitable for human consumption, this has not been my observation of doting pet owners’ food choices. My mother’s dogs eat fresh chicken breast and seem to consume Michelin-quality cuisine that is tastier than what she feeds herself.
Other scientists estimate that pets contribute 1.1 to 2.9 per cent of agricultural carbon emissions. If these emissions were priced at the same rate as that applied by the European Emissions Trading Scheme, the annual pet food bill would go up by as much as €10bn a year. So while the rest of us are taking dramatic steps to cut our emissions — like reorganising our transportation systems around electric vehicles — dog ownership is holding us back. Applying food economist Peter Alexander’s per pet emissions estimates, I calculate that sticking with a conventional car, instead of switching to an EV, has the same emissions impact as someone owning either four big dogs or nine small ones.
Like the FT’s columnist, I recognise that the attraction of pets is not always rational. However, pet owners can make their decision less harmful for the environment by buying cheaper pet food or using alternatives like insect blends. It might save money too.