Everything You Need to Know About Agricultural Emissions

Agricultural emissions accounted for approximately 13 percent of total global emissions in 2011, totaling 6 billion tonnes. The primary sources are methane from cattle and nitrous oxide from fertilizers and soil waste, which together comprise 65 percent of the sector's emissions. Global agricultural emissions grew by 8 percent between 1990 and 2010 and are projected to reach nearly 7 billion tonnes per year by 2030, driven largely by population growth and dietary shifts in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Mitigation opportunities include improving crop and grazing management, reducing food loss and waste, and shifting dietary preferences away from meat, particularly beef.

• In 2011, the agricultural sector was the world's second-largest emitter after the energy sector, producing 6 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases, which represented about 13 percent of total global emissions.
• Methane from cattle and nitrous oxide from fertilizers and waste are the dominant sources of agricultural emissions, accounting for 65 percent of the global total. Other smaller sources include rice cultivation, manure management, fuel use on farms, and field burning of crop residues.
• Ten countries—China, Brazil, United States, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, Democratic Republic of Congo, Argentina, Myanmar, and Pakistan—were responsible for 51 percent of global agricultural emissions in 2011.
• Global agricultural emissions increased by 8 percent from 1990 to 2010 and are projected to rise 15 percent above 2010 levels by 2030, reaching nearly 7 billion tonnes annually. This growth is primarily driven by population growth and dietary changes in developing economies, with the largest increases expected in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
• Significant emission reduction opportunities exist on the supply side through improved fertilizer management, conservation tillage, rotational grazing, and the restoration of degraded lands. On the demand side, reducing food loss and waste—which currently affects 24 percent of calories produced for human consumption—and shifting diets away from beef offer high potential for reductions.

APA

Russell, S. (2014). Everything You Need to Know About Agricultural Emissions. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/everything-you-need-know-about-agricultural-emissions

Chicago

Russell, Stephen. Everything You Need to Know About Agricultural Emissions. World Resources Institute, 2014. https://www.wri.org/insights/everything-you-need-know-about-agricultural-emissions.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Russell |first1=Stephen |title=Everything You Need to Know About Agricultural Emissions |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=29 May 2014 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/everything-you-need-know-about-agricultural-emissions |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{russell2014everything, author = {Russell, Stephen}, title = {{Everything You Need to Know About Agricultural Emissions}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2014}, month = may, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/everything-you-need-know-about-agricultural-emissions}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }