Meat Eaters Guide: Methodology - Environmental Working Group

Table 19. Greenhouse Gas Emission from Yogurt Consumption (post-farmgate)
Emission Source kg of CO 2 e per kg of consumed cheese
Processing 0.49
Domestic Transport 0.33
Refrigeration (retail) 0.06
Home Cooking 0.00
Waste Disposal 0.15
Total 1.03
Calculation for Total Overall Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Domestic Yogurt Production and Consumption
Table 20. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Yogurt Production
CO 2 e emissions per kg of Yogurt 0.79
b. Sources of GHG Emissions for Cheese and Milk and Yogurt
In the Wisconsin model, the primary pre-farmgate GHG emissions for cheese, milk and yogurt production
come from methane emissions from enteric fermentation (44 percent), followed by feed production
(21 percent). Methane emissions from manure storage make up 16 percent of emissions.
In general, the sources of emissions from dairy systems may vary considerably. While many studies
have validated our GHG emission numbers for dairy and cheese production, key studies (Johnson,
et. al (2002), FAO (2009), and Capper (2009) identified wide variations in GHG sources depending on
the kind of manure storage and the primary animal feed. 6061
Figure 6. Sources of GHG Emissions for Cheese
Environmental Working Group Meat Eaters Guide: Methodology 2011 35