Advanced methodology for the inventory on greenhouse gas emissions in tropical livestock farming

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the integration of primary regional data into the Tier 2 methodology of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, combined with life cycle assessment, to estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in beef cattle production. Primary zootechnical and environmental data from 13 modal production systems distributed across 11 microregions of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, were analyzed. Emissions were calculated per unit of area and live weight produced, revealing significant regional variability associated with productive efficiency, pasture management, and overgrazing. The granularity limitations of the fourth national GHG inventory were successfully addressed, resulting in a more accurate, representative, and policy-relevant methodology for estimating emissions from tropical beef cattle systems.