NEW YORK— Climate scientists identify reducing meat consumption as a critical climate strategy, but it appears in just 1.2% of climate journalism, according to new research released today by the Center for Biological Diversity and Brighter Green.

Missing Ingredients: How Agriculture and Diet Get Overlooked in Media Coverage of Climate Change assessed more than 10,000 articles from U.S. media outlets about climate change over the past three years and found terms related to dietary shifts appeared in only 1.2%, or 115 articles, of the coverage. The broader themes of animal agriculture or meat appeared in only 3.2%, or 343 of the articles, despite the sector being responsible for 19% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Coverage would have to increase sixfold to accurately reflect the proportion of animal agriculture’s responsibility for the climate crisis.

“It’s no wonder so many people think food isn’t a big climate issue when it’s absent from almost every news story they click on,” said Stephanie Feldstein, population and sustainability director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The meat and dairy industries have been enjoying their time in the shadows for too long. The media needs to shine a light on their role in driving the climate crisis and the need for policy action.”

The articles were also analyzed to determine the quality of coverage. Stories often discussed the impacts of climate change on farmers and farmworkers without identifying the animal agriculture industry as a source of greenhouse gas emissions. The reality of animal agriculture as both cause and victim of the climate crisis was rarely addressed.

“Understanding the industry’s climate impact is crucial for public awareness and action. It’s a big story that ought to be told more often,” said Mia MacDonald, executive director of Brighter Green. “Not only are meat, dairy and feedcrops responsible for more emissions than the global transport sector, animal agriculture is a leading cause of deforestation, including in the Amazon where the COP30 climate summit just wrapped up. This means even more emissions — and a less hospitable planet for people and animals.”

Following more than a decade of advocacy by the global food movement, food and animal agriculture have become a bigger part of the United Nations’ annual climate talks. However, action targets for the sector remain limited after COP30 and nearly all countries still fail to adequately address meat and dairy industry emissions, further underscoring the need for informed discussion among policymakers, the public, and the media.

“Big Ag is following in the footsteps of Big Oil when it downplays its climate impact,” said Alexandra Tey, an independent journalist who led the research effort. “Climate journalists have published excellent reporting on how the energy industry suppressed evidence of climate change, but we’re still missing out on compelling stories by overlooking food issues.”

The report calls on journalists to improve climate coverage by covering animal agriculture stories that the data show are overlooked, remaining accountable to science, and calling out livestock industry greenwashing.