Climate change: impact on livestock and how can we adapt

Abstract

This issue of Animal Frontiers, “Climate change: impact on livestock and how can we adapt,” focuses on the effects of climate change (global warming) on livestock health, well-being, production and reproduction, and on possible adaptation and mitigation strategies that can be put in place to reduce negative impacts.Recently the intergovernmental group of experts on climate change gathered in South Korea to bring attention to the urgency of this situation: global warming is increasing and ecosystems, animal species diversity, and food security are at risk. It is now well accepted that the increasing concern with the thermal comfort of agricultural animals is justifiable not only for countries in tropical zones, but also for nations in temperate zones where high-ambient temperatures are becoming an issue. At a global level, animal production must increase in the next decades to satisfy the growing need for animal-sourced foods. We have to expect that livestock systems (based on grazing, mixed farming systems, or industrialized systems) will be more and more negatively affected by climate change, especially global warming.