Everything You Need to Know About Agricultural Emissions

This fact sheet from the World Resources Institute explains the sources, scale, and trends of global agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while highlighting the role of new Greenhouse Gas Protocol guidance in helping companies measure and manage their climate footprint.

• In 2011, the agricultural sector was the world's second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, following the energy sector. Farms emitted approximately 6 billion tonnes of GHGs that year, representing about 13 percent of total global emissions.
• The primary sources of agricultural emissions are methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), which together account for 65 percent of global agricultural emissions. The largest contributors are cattle belching and the application of wastes and natural or synthetic fertilizers to soils.
• Ten countries accounted for 51 percent of global agricultural emissions in 2011: China, Brazil, United States, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, Democratic Republic of Congo, Argentina, Myanmar, and Pakistan.
• Global agricultural emissions grew by 8 percent between 1990 and 2010 and are projected to reach nearly 7 billion tonnes per year by 2030, a 15 percent increase over 2010 levels. This growth is primarily driven by dietary preference changes and population growth in developing economies, with the most significant increases expected in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
• Opportunities to reduce emissions include supply-side changes like conservation tillage and improved fertilizer management, as well as demand-side shifts such as reducing beef consumption and addressing the fact that 24 percent of calories produced for humans are lost or wasted in the supply chain.

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} }