carbon-footprints-brazil-soy

This research paper introduces a high-spatial-resolution bottom-up approach for quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in agricultural trade, applying it to Brazilian soy exports from 2010–2015 to demonstrate significant variability in carbon footprints based on origin and destination.

• The authors developed a new bottom-up methodology for quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in agricultural products by integrating life cycle analysis (LCA) principles with enhanced physical trade flow analysis, moving away from uniform national or global average impact factors.
• Analysis of Brazilian soy exports between 2010 and 2015, covering approximately 90,000 individual flows of protein cake, oil, and beans, showed that carbon footprints vary extremely based on the importing country, sub-stages of the supply chain, and sourcing area.
• The highest carbon footprints were linked to soy from Pará and the MATOPIBA states (Bahia, Piaui, Tocantins, and Maranhao) due to natural vegetation loss, with emissions up to six times the Brazilian average of 0.69 t t−1. Soy imports to the European Union (EU) had the highest carbon footprint per ton at 0.77 t t−1 and the largest total deforestation-related footprint. Total GHG emissions for Brazilian soy exports from 2010–2015 were 223.46 million tons, with China importing more than half of these emissions.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2020). carbon-footprints-brazil-soy. https://www.sei.org/publications/carbon-footprints-brazil-soy/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. carbon-footprints-brazil-soy. 2020. https://www.sei.org/publications/carbon-footprints-brazil-soy/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=carbon-footprints-brazil-soy |date=7 May 2020 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/carbon-footprints-brazil-soy/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2020carbonfootprintsbrazilsoy, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{carbon-footprints-brazil-soy}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2020}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/carbon-footprints-brazil-soy/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }