FAOSTAT 기반 국내산 소고기 농장단계 온실가스 배출강도 비교 연구 = Comparative Study on Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity of Domestic Beef at Farmgate Based on FAOSTAT

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study aimed to identify the causes of discrepancies in beef production and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity data between FAOSTAT and South Korean national statistics to evaluate South Korea’s carbon neutrality competitiveness. Utilizing data from 2010 to 2023, domestic boneless meat production was converted to carcass weight to ensure consistency with FAO standards, and emission intensity was recalculated accordingly. Results showed that FAOSTAT understated South Korean beef production by approximately 21% for the recent 2019-2023 period, leading to a 27% overestimation of its emission intensity. The recalculated intensity was 16.97 kgCO2e/kg, which represents 56% of the global average (30.45 kgCO2e/kg). South Korea ranked fourth among the representative countries analyzed, demonstrating significantly higher environmental competitiveness than several major producing and exporting nations, primarily due to its high average carcass weight (410.4 kg). In conclusion, current statistical inaccuracies in international databases undervalue the efficiency of the Korean livestock industry. To effectively respond to international carbon regulations and trade barriers, it is imperative for the South Korean government to provide official carcass production data to the FAO and integrate carcass weight as a key indicator in national statistics to ensure an objective assessment of the country’s carbon neutrality efforts.