Impact of Soil Use On Winter Greenhouse Gas Emissions: The Agricultural Sector in Alagoas Through An Emissions Inventory

Objective: To prepare a greenhouse gas inventory within the state of Alagoas for 2019, using data and factors from livestock and agriculture. Theoretical framework: Preparing an inventory is an important tool for understanding climate change that is directly related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, mostly resulting from anthropogenic activities. In Brazil, agriculture stands out as one of the main sources of emissions, driven by the production of grains and animals for domestic and foreign consumption. Due to the difficulty of direct measurement, emissions are often assessed through inventories. The GHG emissions inventory is one of the basic tools that provides relevant data to direct certain public policies, or civil society actions, to reduce GHG emissions into the atmosphere, given that the state of Alagoas has few scientific productions on GHG sources and emissions. Methodology: Emissions were calculated by multiplying the emission coefficient following the methodology proposed by the IPCC, GHG Protocol, using the multiplication of the emission coefficient also indicated by the IPCC, MCTIC, EMBRAPA by the total number of heads or by the number of hectares of each crop in 2019 to calculate emissions. The results were then transformed into figures to facilitate understanding and analysis. Results and Discussions: N2O emissions from temporary and permanent crops, and N2O and CH4 emissions from flooded rice crops; as well as CH4 and N2O emissions from the livestock sector, totaling 10.53 MtCO2e of emissions in 2019. Comparing with other results, differences were noted in the total emissions due to the adoption of different methodologies and factors, as well as in what to measure, so this article presents advances and limitations, contributing to a greater depth of understanding of emissions. Research Implications: This research contributes to the scientific literature, public policy actions and environmental planning, as well as understanding and analyzing the impacts on the agricultural sector, and methodological and scientific advances, and the promotion of new research and data updates that can guide new research and updates. Originality/value: This study provides a regional focus on Alagoas, with consistent applications of international methodologies (IPCC, GHG Protocol) in local contexts. It serves as a basis for local public policies, environmental and climate impacts, expanding knowledge about the state's emissions, and encouraging innovation in local methods, as well as awareness and social mobilization.