Google expands climate investments with major carbon removal project in Brazil

Yesterday 18:35

By: Azzat Manal

Google expands climate investments with major carbon removal project in Brazil

Google has announced its largest carbon removal purchase to date through a new partnership with climate technology company Terradot, supporting a large-scale project aimed at tackling both methane emissions from rice farming and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The initiative covers more than 200,000 hectares of rice farmland in Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. It combines changes in agricultural irrigation practices with enhanced rock weathering, a technique designed to accelerate a natural process in which certain rocks absorb carbon dioxide.

Under the agreement, Google plans to purchase the equivalent of one million metric tons of methane-related climate impact by 2030, alongside one million metric tons of permanent carbon removal by 2040. The two components will be generated and assessed separately, reflecting the different climate effects of methane reduction and long-term carbon removal.

The methane-reduction component will rely on a farming technique known as Alternate Wetting and Drying, which periodically drains rice paddies rather than keeping them continuously flooded. This approach can reduce the conditions that produce methane while also lowering water consumption.

For the carbon-removal component, crushed volcanic rock will be applied to the same farmland. As the material gradually weathers, it can accelerate the uptake of carbon dioxide and store the resulting carbon in more stable forms. The project is described by Google and Terradot as the largest enhanced rock-weathering initiative announced to date.

Google said the project could provide a model for expanding similar climate initiatives across Brazil’s rice-growing regions and eventually into other major rice-producing countries. The companies are also supporting research into the effectiveness of methane-reduction practices in different agricultural systems.

The agreement comes as technology companies face growing pressure to address emissions associated with rapidly expanding data-center infrastructure and artificial intelligence. Google has invested in Terradot and has previously purchased carbon-removal credits from the company.

The project illustrates a broader shift in climate strategies toward combining reductions in short-lived greenhouse gases such as methane with technologies designed to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over longer periods. At the same time, the scale-up of such approaches remains dependent on reliable measurement, verification and reductions in costs.