Methane emissions in Brazil grew 6% in four years, reaching a total of 21.1 million tons in 2023, according to a study released by the Climate Observatory, a network of scientists that brings together 162 research institutes, organizations, and social movements linked to the environmental agenda.
The main source of this gas —which has a much greater warming potential than carbon dioxide— is agriculture, particularly the Brazilian cattle herd. In 2023 alone, enteric fermentation from cattle (belching) was responsible for 14.5 million tons, more than two-thirds of the total.
Second was waste (such as organic waste in landfills), with 3.1 million tons; followed by emissions from land-use change and forest fires (1.33 million tons). Further behind were the energy sector (0.55 million tons) and industrial processes and product use, including leaks in the oil and gas chain (0.02 million tons).
Brazil currently ranks fifth among the world’s largest methane emitters, behind China, the US, India, and Russia. In 2021, the country signed the Global Methane Pledge during COP26 in Glasgow, along with more than 150 nations. However, according to the Climate Observatory, “it has done almost nothing to implement the pledge.” Source: Valor Econômico
