Carbon sequestration in grasslands has been proposed as an important means to offset greenhouse gas emissions from ruminant systems. This analysis shows that one tonne of carbon sequestrated offsets radiative forcing of a continuous emission of 0.99 kg methane or 0.1 kg nitrous oxide per year over 100 years. About 135 gigatonnes of carbon is required to offset continuous methane and nitrous oxide emissions from the global ruminant sector, nearly twice the current global carbon stock in managed grasslands. Relying solely on carbon sequestration in grasslands to offset warming effects of emissions from current ruminant systems is not feasible.

Yue Wang, Imke J. M. de Boer, U. Martin Persson, Raimon Ripoll-Bosch, Christel Cederberg, Pierre J. Gerber, Pete Smith, Corina E. van Middelaar