Carbon Footprint of Beef vs Chicken: A Data Comparison
Quick answer: Beef produces approximately 60 kg CO₂e per kilogram, while chicken produces about 6-7 kg CO₂e per kilogram. Switching from beef to chicken for one meal per day saves roughly 0.8 tonnes of CO₂ per year. This makes it one of the most effective dietary changes you can make. For a complete list of high-impact actions, see our article The 50 Most Effective Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint.
Emissions by Protein Source
| Protein Source | kg CO₂e per kg of food | Relative to Chicken |
|---|---|---|
| Beef (beef herd) | 60.0 | 8.6x |
| Lamb & Mutton | 24.0 | 3.4x |
| Cheese | 21.0 | 3.0x |
| Pork | 7.0 | 1.0x |
| Chicken | 6.0-7.0 | 1.0x (baseline) |
| Farmed Fish | 5.0 | 0.7x |
| Eggs | 4.5 | 0.6x |
| Tofu | 3.0 | 0.4x |
| Beans & Lentils | 0.9 | 0.1x |
Source: Poore & Nemecek (2018), published in Science. Data represents global averages including land use change, farm, feed, processing, transport, and retail.
Why Is Beef So Much Higher?
Three main factors drive beef's high emissions:
- Feed conversion ratio — Cattle need ~25 kg of feed to produce 1 kg of meat. Chickens need ~3.5 kg.
- Methane — Cattle produce methane through enteric fermentation (digestion), a greenhouse gas 80x more potent than CO₂ over 20 years.
- Land use — Beef production requires ~20x more land than chicken per gram of protein.
What About "Grass-Fed" Beef?
Grass-fed beef has a mixed climate profile. While it avoids emissions from feed production, grass-fed cattle grow more slowly, meaning they produce methane over a longer period. Studies show grass-fed beef is roughly similar or slightly higher in total emissions compared to grain-fed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much CO₂ does one beef burger produce?
A typical 150g beef burger produces approximately 9 kg of CO₂e — roughly equivalent to driving a gasoline car for 36 km.
Is chicken actually climate-friendly?
Chicken is significantly better than beef but still produces 6-7 kg CO₂e per kg. For the lowest carbon protein, beans and lentils produce less than 1 kg CO₂e per kg.
What about lab-grown meat?
Lab-grown meat has the potential to reduce emissions by 80-92% compared to conventional beef, but as of 2026, it's not yet commercially available at scale. Current production is energy-intensive.
Data sources: Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science, 360(6392), 987-992. IPCC AR6 WGIII (2022).