Prof. Aseem Prakash, colleague Prof. Nives Dolšak, and Ph.D. Candidate Meagan Carmack write in Forbes, "Dogs Are Humans’ Best Friends: Could We Reduce Their Carbon Footprint?"
The article discusses the rising trend of pet ownership worldwide and the challenges posed by the increasing pet population, particularly in terms of the environmental impact. The article highlights the link between urban pets, especially cats, and the loss of wildlife, the use of plastic bags to clean up dog poop, and the landfill implications of pet toys. It also discusses the ecological footprint of pet food, which is comparable to the carbon footprint of automobiles, and suggests ways to support pet ownership while lowering their carbon footprint.
"On average, the ecological footprint of a Japanese dog equals the dietary footprint of a Japanese citizen. In China, the ecological footprint of dogs equals that of 70 to 245 million Chinese citizens. In the U.S., the annual carbon footprint of pet animal products is about 64 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (or annual emissions of 14.2 million gasoline-powered cars)."