Google has established its largest carbon removal agreement to support an initiative by Terradot, covering over 200,000 hectares of rice fields located in southern Brazil. This action integrates methane reduction with the permanent capture of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere.
The defined objectives include eliminating the equivalent of 1 million metric tons of CO₂ from methane by 2030, in addition to removing another 1 million metric tons of carbon by 2040. The methodology employed was designed to be replicated in other locations.
Rice cultivation usually occurs in flooded areas, where microorganisms generate methane, a potent greenhouse gas. According to Pnuma, rice paddies are responsible for approximately 10% to 12% of global emissions of this gas.
To mitigate these emissions, Terradot will assist farmers in implementing the Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) system. This procedure involves draining the rice fields at regular intervals, which interrupts some of the ideal conditions for gas formation. Furthermore, this method can result in lower water consumption and reduced operational costs.
Methane reduction will be monitored and validated separately from carbon removal. Concurrently, the project includes Accelerated Rock Weathering, where Terradot will distribute crushed volcanic rock in the same agricultural areas. Certain rocks naturally interact with atmospheric CO₂, and when fragmented, this process is accelerated, allowing the rock dissolution to remove carbon from the atmosphere in a lasting manner.
This second front is expected to remove 1 million metric tons of carbon by 2040. The timelines for the two approaches differ: methane reduction generates more immediate results, while CO₂ capture has a longer permanence effect. Southern Brazil presents characteristics considered suitable for applying the rock technique, including climate, soil composition, and proximity to basalt deposits.
The intention is to validate this model on a large scale before expanding it to the approximately 1.5 million hectares of rice cultivated in the country. There are plans to consider other producing countries, while research continues to evaluate the potential of AWD in various cropping systems. This agreement represents Google's largest announced carbon removal acquisition and the largest Accelerated Rock Weathering project disclosed, combining immediate methane mitigation with gradual CO₂ removal on the same rural property.