Sustainable Dairy Systems Through Resource Management, Climate Change Mitigation, and Smart Technological Innovation

The dairy sector supports global food security, rural livelihoods, and regional economics by providing high-quality animal nutrition. However, dairy production is both affected by and contributes to climate change. Heat stress, lower feed consumption, compromised fertility, inconsistent forage availability, and increased disease prevalence reduce productivity. Dairy production activities generate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions via enteric and manure-derived methane, nitrous oxide, feed production, alterations in land utilization, milk processing, packaging, and transportation. Sustainable progress remains limited by conventional production management methods, inadequate manure handling, and slow adoption of climate-smart technologies. Few reviews incorporate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, climate sensitivity, resource efficiency, technological innovation, and long-term dairy development within a unified sustainability approach. This disintegration creates a significant challenge because dairy sustainability cannot be assessed only through milk yield or emission intensity. This narrative review elaborates the relationship between the global dairy industry and sustainable development goals, outlines the formation pathways of dairy GHG emissions, summarizes targeted climate adaptation and emission mitigation strategies, and explores innovative resource management models. It also highlights integrated theoretical support and possible transformation solutions for low-carbon, sustainable dairy development worldwide.