A country-specific, high-resolution emission inventory for methane from livestock in Asia in 2000

Kazuyo Yamaji, Toshimasa Ohara, Hajime Akimoto

Atmospheric Environment,37(31), 4393-4406, 2003.


Methane emissions from livestock in South, Southeast, and East Asia were estimated to be about 29.9 Tg CH4 in 2000 using the Food and Agriculture Organization database and district-level data on regional activity and emission factors, considering regional specificities. These emissions consisted of 25.9 Tg CH4 from enteric fermentation and 4.0 Tg CH4 from livestock manure management systems. India had the greatest production, with 11.8 Tg CH4 from livestock, primarily cattle and buffaloes. China was also a high-emission country, producing about 10.4 Tg CH4. To determine their spatial distribution, emissions at the country and district levels were plotted on a 0.5�~0.5�� grid according to weight, using high-resolution land cover/use datasets. This gridded database shows considerable emissions throughout the Ganges basin, with peak emissions exceeding 30 Gg CH4 grid-1 in the Ganges River delta. The total methane emissions from livestock increased by an average of 2% per annum from 1965 to 2000. The recent increase in methane emissions in China was especially remarkable.