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Nature Food Study
A new study in Nature Food provides for updated estimates showing that greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields worldwide have doubled since the 1960s. The study provides for identification of methane hotspots, and it places India’s rice fields among the world’s top methane hotspots, including paddy fields in eastern India.
Nature Food Study on Paddy-Field GHG Emissions and Methane Hotspots:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Study trigger | The study provides for findings on greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields worldwide, including methane hotspots. |
| Methane hotspots | Methane hotspots comprise localised geographic areas with exceptionally high emissions of methane. |
| Key finding | The study provides for the finding that greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields worldwide have doubled since the 1960s. |
| Global annual emissions level and change | Paddy fields worldwide produce around 1.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2-e) emissions every year, and this comprises a 90.4% increase from annual emissions between 1961 and 1980. |
| Source of rise: soil organic carbon loss | Loss of soil organic carbon comprises about half the increase in emissions, and in the 2010s, over a third of paddy fields worldwide has begun losing carbon from the soil. |
| Source of rise: methane formation in flooded fields | Flooded paddy fields develop low-oxygen conditions where methane-producing microbes thrive. |
| India’s methane hotspot status | India’s rice fields rank among the world’s top methane hotspots, and paddy fields in eastern India are among the global methane hotspots. |
| India: rice production | India tops the list of countries on rice production, delivering 154 million tonnes in 2025-26. |
| India: paddy cultivation area change and coverage | The area under paddy cultivation has increased by around 25% since the 1970s, and it currently covers 55% of India’s rainfed harvested area. |
| India: emission-linked practices listed | Emissions apply to expansion of paddy area, continuous irrigation of fields, incorporating residues such as leftover stalks, leaves, and stubble, and increasing use of nitrogen fertilisers. |
| India: methane emissions from irrigated paddy fields | Irrigated paddy fields in India release around 3.9 million tonnes of methane every year. |
| Comparison cited in the study | The methane released by irrigated paddy fields in India comprises a little more than the entire annual methane emissions of Germany. |
| Projection (2031–2050) | The study projects that between 2031 and 2050, annual emissions will increase by around 26%, fuelled by global warming, erratic rainfall, and the continued intense use of agricultural inputs. |
| India: stated policy status | India has not set up goals to reduce emissions from agriculture. |
| Measures listed and quantified reduction potential | A combination comprises improved irrigation, optimised fertiliser use, residue management, and reduced tillage, and it could reduce global rice-related greenhouse gas emissions by about 10% by mid-century, even under a warming climate. |