Revealing the ‘carbon hoofprint’ of meat consumption for American cities

A map of the United States showing the carbon hoofprint per capita, or the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the meat consumption of each resident.

The per capita carbon hoofprint—the greenhouse gas emissions associated with meat consumption per resident—varies greatly over cities throughout the U.S. Image credit: B. P. Goldstein et al. Nat. Clim. Change 2025 (DOI: 10.1038/s41558-025-02450-7). Used under a CC BY license.

By Matt Davenport | Michigan News |

October 21, 2025

Contact: [email protected]

New research from the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) and the University of Minnesota shows that, depending on where you live in the U.S., the meat you eat in a year could be contributing a level of greenhouse gas emissions similar to what's emitted to power your home.

The study is the first to provide a systematic analysis of the environmental impacts of the sprawling supply chains that the country relies on for beef, pork and chicken. The project team calculated and mapped the impacts, which they call meat's "carbon hoofprint," for each city in the U.S., and also provides city-specific information that residents and governments can use to make changes.

“This has huge implications for how we gauge the environmental impact of cities, measure those impacts and ultimately develop policies to reduce those impacts,” said Benjamin Goldstein, a leader of the study and assistant professor at SEAS.

SEAS Professor Joshua Newell was senior investigator on the study, and Dimitrios Gounaridis, SEAS assistant research scientist, also contributed to the study, alongside collaborators at the University of Minnesota.

Read the full press release on the Michigan News website.

Study: The carbon hoofprint of cities is shaped by geography and production in the livestock supply chain (DOI: 10.1038/s41558-025-02450-7)