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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This episode of Possibly originally aired on April 21, 2020.

In the Northeast, we can expect longer periods without any rain. But when it does rain, it’ll be heavier, which leads to more floods. We’ll probably see the same amount of hurricanes, but they’ll be more intense. The initial research says the same is true for tornadoes and hailstorms. Thankfully, tsunamis aren’t connected to climate change.

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. 

Last year, we answered this question from Marius, a third-grader at Heights Elementary School in Sharon, Massachusetts. He wanted to know-

Marius: Can global warming make more extreme weather? Like tornadoes and hurricanes and tsunamis and like big storms.

Megan Hall: In the past few months, we’ve seen this extreme weather on full display. Not just big storms, but floods and extreme heat, including a record-breaking 115 degrees in Portland, Oregon- my hometown! So, we thought it made sense to air this episode again.

Fatima Husain looked into Marius’s question. 

Fatima Husain: Hello, Megan! 

Megan Hall: So, can we expect more intense storms because of global warming? 

Fatima Husain: The short answer is yes — global warming is already causing weather events like hurricanes to become more extreme. 

To learn more, I Zoom-ed with Dr. Kerry Emanuel at MIT. He’s been studying hurricanes, cyclones, and tropical storms for nearly 35 years. 

Kerry:It’s perhaps one of the most important aspects of global warming. What does it do to extreme weather? And there’s some things we know about that. And there are other things we wish we did know.

Fatima Husain: Here’s a simple explanation of what scientists DO know. Global warming increases the intensity of our weather because it causes temperatures to rise, which leads to more water evaporation. And when those larger amounts of water come back down, they lead to bigger storms. 

Megan Hall: Will this really affect the weather in a noticeable way?  

Fatima Husain: It depends on where you live, but again, the general answer is yes. Kerry and hundreds of other atmospheric scientists agree that —

Kerry Emanuel: places that are pretty rainy already will tend to get rainier, wetter as the climate warms, whereas places that are already dry, like deserts, are expected to get even drier. 

Megan Hall: So, what about here in New England? How is global warming affecting our storms? 

Fatima Husain: Kerry says that we’ll probably see longer periods without any rain. But when it does rain, it’ll be heavier, which leads to more floods. And We’re already seeing this. According to NASA, cases of heavy rainfall in the Northeast have gone up around 55 percent over the past 60 years.  

Megan Hall: and what about hurricanes? Can we expect more of those? 

Fatima Husain: Kerry says think quality, not quantity. 

Kerry Emanuel: We expect to see stronger hurricanes as the planet warms. Not necessarily more hurricanes, but more category 3, 4, and 5. 

Fatima Husain: And according to initial research, the same applies to tornadoes. We’re likely to see about the same amount, but they’ll be more intense. 

Megan Hall: Marius also mentioned tsunamis. Should we expect to see more of those? 

Fatima Husain: Thankfully, no. Tsunamis are triggered by earthquakes, those aren’t influenced by climate change. 

Megan Hall: Good to know. But what about big storms we’ve seen in the past- like Hurricane Katrina? Was climate change to blame in that case?

Fatima Husain: Until recently, most scientists didn’t think they knew enough to connect a specific weather event to climate change… But, in the past couple of years, they have been able to pinpoint global warming as a culprit for some events, like heat waves and major forest fires.  

Megan Hall: So, what’s the answer to Marius’s question? Is there a connection between global warming and extreme weather?

Fatima Husain: Yes. Global warming is already making weather more extreme, and we’ll see more of these intense storms as the planet continues to warm. Kerry says the most obvious way to address this is to limit our greenhouse gas emissions. In a major way. 

Kerry Emanuel: I have to say, honestly, that the most effective thing you can do as an individual is to get involved in the politics of this, to make sure that politicians get elected who are serious about doing it.

Fatima Husain: And he has a special message for Marius:

Kerry Emanuel: I hope you maintain your interest in science and maybe someday we’ll see you at MIT.

Megan Hall: Great! Thanks, Fatima! 

That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way you recycle, use energy, or make any other choice that affects the planet, go to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly. 

Possibly is a co-production of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society and the Public’s Radio. 

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Fatima’s Sources: 

Kerry Emanuel: This year’s hurricanes are a taste of the future [physics of hurricanes 22:44-29:31]

Yes, you can blame climate change for extreme weather

Hurricane Sandy hybrid storm: Kerry Emanuel on climate change and storms.

How climate change is making hurricanes more dangerous

Explainer: Desertification and the role of climate change

How Do Hurricanes Form?

Earth’s Freshwater Future: Extremes of Flood and Drought – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

How Climate Change May Be Impacting Storms Over Earth’s Tropical Oceans – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

Explainer: What climate models tell us about future rainfall

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