{"paper_id":"d60eeedd-cafb-40b2-ad77-1e21d3d49b15","body_text":"Global methane emissions from rice cultivation – improved estimation, regional disparities and trade-adjusted perspectives using EDGAR | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Global methane emissions from rice cultivation – improved estimation, regional disparities and trade-adjusted perspectives using EDGAR Manjola Banja, Monica Crippa, Federico Pagani, Francesco Tubiello, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8364540/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Rice cultivation is a major source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas with significant climate implications. Official inventories report emissions based on domestic production, often overlooking the role of international trade in redistributing methane. Major exporters shift a substantial portion of emissions to consumers via trade. We present the first global assessment of consumption-based methane emissions from rice, which shows that trade substantially reshapes the geographic distribution of responsibility with nearly 9% of methane emissions redistributed in 2023. Regions previously considered low-emitting-including Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Africa-now carry a larger consumption-based methane footprint, with the EU27 nearly doubling its production-based emissions, Africa showing the largest divergence among continents, and the Middle East’s footprint driven almost entirely by imports. To ensure effective mitigation, policy frameworks should integrate trade-adjusted methane estimates so that commitments such as the Global Methane Pledge reflect the full lifecycle of rice production and consumption. Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences/Climate change Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Supplementarymaterialfinal.pdf Global methane emissions from rice cultivation – improved estimation, regional disparities and trade-adjusted perspectives using EDGAR Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {\"props\":{\"pageProps\":{\"initialData\":{\"identity\":\"rs-8364540\",\"acceptedTermsAndConditions\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"archivedVersions\":[],\"articleType\":\"Article\",\"associatedPublications\":[],\"authors\":[{\"id\":574690198,\"identity\":\"0675c8f0-d796-4a01-9d18-2f0d966cab31\",\"order_by\":0,\"name\":\"Manjola Banja\",\"email\":\"data:image/png;base64,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\",\"orcid\":\"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2070-676X\",\"institution\":\"Joint Research Centre, EC\",\"correspondingAuthor\":true,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Manjola\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Banja\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":574690199,\"identity\":\"7eeb5b57-00ee-4e9b-b41c-169a18ef2bcd\",\"order_by\":1,\"name\":\"Monica Crippa\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC)\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Monica\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Crippa\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":574690200,\"identity\":\"b09d25b5-e52d-4d89-9cba-0a9e8f04ef37\",\"order_by\":2,\"name\":\"Federico Pagani\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Joint Research Centre, European Commission\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Federico\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Pagani\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":574690201,\"identity\":\"a52e6c19-1140-41e7-ae1a-a0bbf3f8154d\",\"order_by\":3,\"name\":\"Francesco Tubiello\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4617-4690\",\"institution\":\"FAO\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Francesco\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Tubiello\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":574690202,\"identity\":\"1d4c2408-a2c5-4ba0-bbf6-d3abd9b0fcc3\",\"order_by\":4,\"name\":\"Adrian Leip\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7616-5029\",\"institution\":\"European Commission, DG Research \\u0026 Innovation\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Adrian\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Leip\",\"suffix\":\"\"}],\"badges\":[],\"createdAt\":\"2025-12-15 09:52:54\",\"currentVersionCode\":1,\"declarations\":\"\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8364540/v1\",\"doiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8364540/v1\",\"draftVersion\":[],\"editorialEvents\":[],\"editorialNote\":\"\",\"failedWorkflow\":false,\"files\":[{\"id\":101297134,\"identity\":\"8a2e3b7f-0e04-426e-81f9-b0058b95a566\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2026-01-28 09:25:31\",\"extension\":\"pdf\",\"order_by\":1,\"title\":\"\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"manuscript-pdf\",\"size\":878243,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"Article File\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"Globalmethaneemissionsfromricecultivationfinal.pdf\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8364540/v1_covered_d8863029-5660-4ad8-a3b5-59257154c8ff.pdf\"},{\"id\":101289215,\"identity\":\"ed750415-1bc8-4881-ac5b-1cf96097eb74\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2026-01-28 07:32:05\",\"extension\":\"pdf\",\"order_by\":1,\"title\":\"\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"supplement\",\"size\":1319532,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"Global methane emissions from rice cultivation \\u0026#x2013; improved estimation, regional disparities and trade-adjusted perspectives using EDGAR\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"Supplementarymaterialfinal.pdf\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8364540/v1/020f57b621952e0872273a58.pdf\"}],\"financialInterests\":\"There is \\u003cb\\u003eNO\\u003c/b\\u003e Competing Interest.\",\"formattedTitle\":\"Global methane emissions from rice cultivation – improved estimation, regional disparities and trade-adjusted perspectives using EDGAR\",\"fulltext\":[],\"fulltextSource\":\"\",\"fullText\":\"\",\"funders\":[],\"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow\":false,\"hasManuscriptDocX\":false,\"hasOptedInToPreprint\":true,\"hasPassedJournalQc\":\"\",\"hasAnyPriority\":false,\"hideJournal\":false,\"highlight\":\"\",\"institution\":\"\",\"isAcceptedByJournal\":false,\"isAuthorSuppliedPdf\":true,\"isDeskRejected\":\"\",\"isHiddenFromSearch\":false,\"isInQc\":false,\"isInWorkflow\":false,\"isPdf\":true,\"isPdfUpToDate\":true,\"isWithdrawnOrRetracted\":false,\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"commssustain\",\"isNatureJournal\":false,\"hasQc\":false,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"externalIdentity\":\"commssustain\",\"sideBox\":\"Learn more about [Communications Sustainability](https://www.nature.com/commssustain/)\",\"snPcode\":\"44458\",\"submissionUrl\":\"https://mts-commssustain.nature.com\",\"title\":\"Communications Sustainability\",\"twitterHandle\":\"\",\"acdcEnabled\":true,\"dfaEnabled\":true,\"editorialSystem\":\"ejp\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"Nature\",\"inReviewEnabled\":true,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":true},\"keywords\":\"\",\"lastPublishedDoi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8364540/v1\",\"lastPublishedDoiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8364540/v1\",\"license\":{\"name\":\"CC BY 4.0\",\"url\":\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/\"},\"manuscriptAbstract\":\"Rice cultivation is a major source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas with significant climate implications. Official inventories report emissions based on domestic production, often overlooking the role of international trade in redistributing methane. Major exporters shift a substantial portion of emissions to consumers via trade. We present the first global assessment of consumption-based methane emissions from rice, which shows that trade substantially reshapes the geographic distribution of responsibility with nearly 9% of methane emissions redistributed in 2023. Regions previously considered low-emitting-including Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Africa-now carry a larger consumption-based methane footprint, with the EU27 nearly doubling its production-based emissions, Africa showing the largest divergence among continents, and the Middle East’s footprint driven almost entirely by imports. To ensure effective mitigation, policy frameworks should integrate trade-adjusted methane estimates so that commitments such as the Global Methane Pledge reflect the full lifecycle of rice production and consumption.\",\"manuscriptTitle\":\"Global methane emissions from rice cultivation – improved estimation, regional disparities and trade-adjusted perspectives using EDGAR\",\"msid\":\"\",\"msnumber\":\"\",\"nonDraftVersions\":[{\"code\":1,\"date\":\"2026-01-28 07:31:55\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8364540/v1\",\"editorialEvents\":[{\"type\":\"communityComments\",\"content\":0}],\"status\":\"published\",\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"commssustain\",\"isNatureJournal\":false,\"hasQc\":false,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"externalIdentity\":\"commssustain\",\"sideBox\":\"Learn more about [Communications Sustainability](https://www.nature.com/commssustain/)\",\"snPcode\":\"44458\",\"submissionUrl\":\"https://mts-commssustain.nature.com\",\"title\":\"Communications Sustainability\",\"twitterHandle\":\"\",\"acdcEnabled\":true,\"dfaEnabled\":true,\"editorialSystem\":\"ejp\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"Nature\",\"inReviewEnabled\":true,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":true}}],\"origin\":\"\",\"ownerIdentity\":\"420bf1dc-683f-47b6-b6ff-6ef642626a09\",\"owner\":[],\"postedDate\":\"January 28th, 2026\",\"published\":true,\"recentEditorialEvents\":[],\"rejectedJournal\":[],\"revision\":\"\",\"amendment\":\"\",\"status\":\"under-review\",\"subjectAreas\":[{\"id\":61154072,\"name\":\"Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences/Climate change\"},{\"id\":61154073,\"name\":\"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences\"}],\"tags\":[],\"updatedAt\":\"2026-01-28T07:31:55+00:00\",\"versionOfRecord\":[],\"versionCreatedAt\":\"2026-01-28 07:31:55\",\"video\":\"\",\"vorDoi\":\"\",\"vorDoiUrl\":\"\",\"workflowStages\":[]},\"version\":\"v1\",\"identity\":\"rs-8364540\",\"journalConfig\":\"researchsquare\"},\"__N_SSP\":true},\"page\":\"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]\",\"query\":{\"redirect\":\"/article/rs-8364540\",\"identity\":\"rs-8364540\",\"version\":[\"v1\"]},\"buildId\":\"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd\",\"isFallback\":false,\"isExperimentalCompile\":false,\"dynamicIds\":[84888],\"gssp\":true,\"scriptLoader\":[]}","source_license":"CC-BY-4.0","license_restricted":false}