Meat Eaters Guide: Methodology - Environmental Working Group

Meat Eaters Guide: Methodology
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• Although water is used in the operation, the data source does not itemize the actual quantities
of water used. Therefore, water is currently excluded at this stage of the model due to lack of
data.
b. LCA RESULTS
Table 6. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Lamb Production (at farmgate)
Lamb Production System kg of CO 2 E per pound of edible lamb
Idaho 23.75
Ohio (high productivity) 17.77
Ohio (average productivity) 19.80
Average 20.44
Table 7. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Lamb Consumption (post-farmgate)
Emission Source kg of CO 2 e per pound of consumed lamb
Processing 1.62
Domestic transport 0.36
Ocean transport 0.09
Refrigeration (retail) 0.09
Home cooking 1.42
Waste disposal 0.14
Total 3.72
Calculation for Total Overall Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Lamb Production and Consumption
c. Sources of GHG Emissions
The majority of greenhouse gases from lamb production are methane from enteric fermentation,
followed by gases generated by feed, manure management and farm operations. The gross energy
obtained from feed per unit of live weight is similar for lamb and beef systems, and methane emissions
from enteric fermentation are comparable. However, lamb meat tends to have higher net GHG
emissions because lambs produce less meat in relation to live weight than cows.
Like beef, post-farmgate emissions from lamb make up just 10 percent of the total carbon footprint of
Environmental Working Group Meat Eaters Guide: Methodology 2011