Believe it or not, there can be pretty significant carbon emissions from your pet’s food. This week on Possibly, we explain why, and show some easy ways to reduce your pet’s carbon “pawprint.”

Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.

We know that when we eat meat, it creates a lot of carbon pollution, but we’re not the only ones. What about our pets? Today we’re talking about the carbon “pawprint” of feeding our four-legged companions.

We had Emma Mejia and Christine Peng from our Possibly Team look into this.

Emma Mejia: Hi, Megan!

Christine Peng: Hello!

Megan Hall: So what’s the environmental impact of feeding our pets?

Emma Mejia: Great question. To find out, we talked to Dr. Greg Okin, a Professor of Geography at the UCLA Institute of Environment and Sustainability. He normally studies soil and drylands, but one day he got curious about…

Greg Okin: Backyard chickens. I was thinking, how cool is it that these people in my neighborhood in Los Angeles are getting backyard chickens, and how cool is it that that provides protein for them. I thought, in contrast most of their other animals actually require protein.

Christine Peng: So he decided to crunch the numbers to see how the protein we feed our dogs and cats affects the environment.

Emma Mejia: What he found was pretty crazy.

Christine Peng: First, pets eat 19% of what all US humans eat in calories.

Emma Mejia: And a lot of that is meat.

Gregory Okin: If US dogs and cats as of 2017 were their own country, they’d be the fifth largest meat eater in the world.

Megan Hall: That’s a lot of meat! How does that translate to carbon pollution?

Emma Mejia: Greg says, if you look at the pollution associated with raising and processing meat for pet food since 2017.

Gregory Okin: That’s the same impact as driving about 13.6 million cars for a year.

Megan Hall: Wow that’s a lot!

Christine Peng: It sure is. Put another way, the pollution from making pet food is equal to the emissions from about 5% of all of the cars in the US.

Megan Hall: Is there a way we can reduce this impact at all? Could my pet go vegetarian or vegan?

Emma Mejia: That is a complicated question and depends on a lot of factors, like the kind of pet you have, their nutritional needs, and your vet’s opinions

Christine Peng: Cats are carnivores, so most vets agree that feeding them a plant based diet is not a good idea.

Emma Mejia: Dogs on the other hand, can handle eating animals and plants

Christine Peng: If you’re worried about your dog’s health, check with a vet. But in general, dogs can eat less meat and be perfectly fine.

Emma Mejia: Luckily, there is a simple way to reduce your dog’s carbon pawprint.

Christine Peng: Greg says you can just skip buying premium pet foods

Megan Hall: How do I know if I’m buying premium dog food?

Emma Mejia: There’s no precise definition, but usually, a premium brand will include meat as the first ingredient.

Megan Hall: But don’t I want to feed my dog the best food out there?

Christine Peng: Sure, but premium doesn’t always mean better.

Emma Mejia: In the United States, most states regulate and label pet food according to advice from an organization called the Association of American Feed Control Officials or AAFCO

These regulations check to see if the food has enough of the nutrients pets need.

Christine Peng: So, when you’re buying pet food, just look for a label that says the food provides “complete and balanced nutrition” according to the AAFCO.

Emma Mejia: If it says that, the food should keep your pet healthy, regardless of the price.

Megan Hall: If that’s true, why is some pet food so much more expensive?

Christine Peng: Cheaper pet foods may include more of what’s called “by-product” which usually includes parts of the animal that aren’t intended for humans to eat, but are fine for pets.

Dr. Okin: With dogs, there actually is an amazing opportunity to both be good to your pocketbook and good to the planet. You can buy these store brands that might use chicken meal or you know, some grain as a first ingredient.

Emma Mejia: 1 gram of beef creates 7x more carbon pollution than 1 gram of chicken, so even making a simple switch helps lower your impact.

Megan Hall: So it sounds like there is a way to be kinder to the earth while still make sure my dog stays healthy!

Christine Peng: Yep it’s a win win!

Megan Hall: Thanks Great! Thanks Emma and Christine

That’s it for today. You can find more information, or ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, at askpossibly.org. You can also subscribe to Possibly wherever you get your podcasts or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Bluesky at “askpossibly”

Possibly is a co-production of Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, and Ocean State Media.

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