Highlights

• Brazil’s methane emissions rose 6% from 2020 to 2023, reaching 21.1 million tonnes, owing to cattle farming.
• Beef and dairy production contributed 14.5 million tonnes of methane, equal to 406 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
• Brazil is now the world’s fifth-largest methane emitter, facing pressure to act ahead of hosting the COP 30 climate conference.

Brazil’s methane emissions have risen by 6% between 2020 and 2023, touching 21.1 million tonnes last year.

This was the country’s second-highest level ever recorded. Since Brazil is the world’s largest beef exporter, most of these emissions are linked to its cattle industry.

According to the Climate Observatory, around three-fourths of Brazil’s methane emissions in 2023 came from beef and dairy cattle. This added up to 14.5 million tonnes of methane, which is equal to 406 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent.

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To put it into perspective, this is more than all the greenhouse gases Italy released in the same year.

Methane is considered more harmful to the climate than carbon dioxide, as it traps much more heat in the atmosphere. While in many countries fossil fuels are the main source of methane, in Brazil, the primary source is food production, especially the digestive process of cattle. Methane is predominantly released when cattle belch during digestion, but also from animal waste and irrigated rice farming.

Experts say Brazil needs to create its own strategies to cut emissions. For example, New Zealand, another major cattle-producing country, has found ways to reduce methane emissions from livestock. Brazil’s challenge is even bigger because it has the second-largest cattle herd in the world, and its beef industry supplies meat to many countries worldwide.

Also Read: Meat & Livestock Australia Halts 2030 Carbon-Neutral Plan

Brazil is presently the fifth-largest methane emitter globally, behind China, the United States, India, and Russia. With the country set to host the COP 30 climate conference in Belem later this year, there is mounting international pressure for Brazil to address its rising methane problem and present concrete actions.

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Source: Reuters