Calculation of CO₂ emission derived from land-use change from soybean production at Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil

ABSTRACT

One of the environmental impacts that presents great concern nowadays, the green-house gases (GHG) emissions affect decision-making from both government and private sector. Within this concern is the soybean biodiesel production growing that takes place in Brazil and Rio Grande do Sul State, this last one of main producers of soybean. Based on this, GHG emissions accounting from soybean cultivation and their potential environmental impacts depend on an inventory performing that presents a reality as close as possible in relation to Rio Grande do Sul State. Thus, this work aimed to trace how the soybean cultivation has developed for 20 years at Rio Grande do Sul State (between 1992 and 2013). During this research, a soybean growing, mainly on temporary croplands, that results in a different accounting in relation to current inventories that show soybean cultivation moving forward on forests areas was found. In this case, it was verified that this work, following The Intergovernmntal Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology, the land use change (LUC) occurred in only 15.4% of the area, where soybean cultivation moved forward for 20 years. Finally, this work suggests future discussion for methodologies that encompass soybean cultivation advanced over wetland areas according to what is pointed out in this study.

Keywords:
soybean; life cycle inventory; land use change; greenhouse gases