Inventary of Greenhouse Gas emissions in the Agriculture sector of municipality of Cumanayagua

Abstract

In Cuba, agriculture and livestock are responsible for 20% of greenhouse gas emissions, making it the second-highest emitting sector. The research aims to estimate greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural sector in the Cumanayagua municipality for the period 2010-2020. To estimate these emissions, the methodological guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for preparing National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, 2006 version, were used. These guidelines allow for the use of methods with varying degrees of complexity, depending on the availability of activity data; and enable the estimation of GHG emissions from all possible sources in a territory within a common framework. In 2020, these emissions amounted to 57.5 Gg CO₂eq (representing a 29.8% decrease from 2010). Of this total, 60.4% was attributed to methane (CH4), 39.6% to nitrous oxide (N₂O), and no carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions were recorded. CH₄ emissions reached 34.7 Gg CO₂eq, primarily from enteric fermentation of livestock, which contributed 33.1 Gg CO₂eq (95.4% of the total). N₂O emissions from the sector totaled 22.8 Gg CO₂eq, mainly from activities related to agricultural soils, with direct manure from livestock on pastures contributing the most at 14.9 Gg CO₂eq, representing 65.2% of the N₂O emissions. The inventory conducted serves as a valuable tool for local decision-making, prioritizing actions and mitigation measures in line with national goals.

Keywords: Emissions, Greenhouse gases, Cumanayagua