Climate change and pets: ways to reduce the carbon paw print and keep your pet healthy

Vancouver -

There are an estimated one billion dogs in the world, and researchers are investigating their carbon paw print and challenging pet owners to opt for sustainable foods, toys and activities.

A study from the University of British Columbia is suggesting how animal guardianship can be easier on the planet. University of British Columbia assistant professor Alexandra Protopopova says there are many ways to reduce the environmental impact of a pet.

“A lot of us don't necessarily consider companion animals as contributing to climate change, but at the same time we're quite used to the idea that a lot of our own behaviors may cause emissions,” said Protopopova, who works in the animal welfare program at UBC’s faculty of land and food systems.

“This is just simply taking guardianship and thinking about it from that specific perspective,” she said/

Protopopova said that modelling research shows that feeding a large dog commercial dog food could release more than 2,500 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions over its lifetime.

“It's a really huge amount,” she said, noting that ways to reduce a pet’s climate impact include not over-feeding them and choosing more sustainable proteins over beef.

Beyond individual decisions, Protopopova also suggests that a collective push to demand the pet food industry to be more transparent about its emissions is also needed.

Close to 60 per cent of households in Canada have a pet, Protopopova said. Within Canada, there are about six million dogs and eight million cats.

Plastic waste is another thing to consider, she said. Choosing compostable dog poo bags, and opting for non-plastic toys may also help reduce dog-related waste, she said.

“We can also reduce our plastic use by repairing and reusing old toys, and perhaps also focusing even more on social enrichment, like walks to the park (and) play rather than (the) plastic (toy) enrichment that we're so used to relying on,” she said.

But beyond feeding and beyond purchasing toys, there are “caretaking behaviors” that result in higher or lower emissions, Protopopova said. This includes adopting a dog or pet that’s suited to the area you live in, and not say, selecting a husky if you live in the desert.

“Pet guardians are very motivated -- and very rightfully so -- to ensure good welfare and comfort for their animal,” she said.

If a person adopts a husky but lives in a very hot city, they’re likely to rely on caretaking methods that aren’t sustainable, such as air conditioning or needing to drive somewhere to take their dog for a proper walk.

“It's very important not to reduce the (pet and animal) welfare standards that we have, but what we could do, as pet guardians, is to consider the kinds of companion animals that we're bringing into our home,” she said.

This could include opting for smaller pets – whether it’s a smaller dog or a cat, or selecting a pet that can produce food for humans, such as a chicken, or a pet that eats all table scraps, such as a rat, Protopopova said.

But just as the emissions from pets impact the climate, pets are also feeling the impacts of climate change. For example, Protopopova pointed to the many cats and dogs who suffered heat stroke or died during B.C.’s recent heat waves.

“Climate scientists are telling us that heat waves are going to become more and more frequent and more and more severe,” she said.

“Our companion animals are also going to be experiencing these heat waves,” she said.

The research also points to an increased risk of companion animals being exposed to more infectious diseases as climate change alters the geographic ranges of pathogens, and Protopopova is also concerned that animals could be less likely to get the care they need during extreme weather events – such as fewer walks, which in turn heightens the risk for obesity and related health issues.

“These could also negatively impact the human-animal bond and even result in the owner relinquishing their companion animal,” Protopopova said. 

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Angela Jung