Google Deal Balances 1 Megaton of CO2 With Rice Fields
Google contracted Terradot to offset warming from one megaton of carbon dioxide using methane cuts and durable carbon removal in Brazil.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Environmental
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Google contracted Terradot for a deal balancing warming from 1 megaton of CO2, pairing methane cuts in Brazilian rice fields with durable carbon dioxide removal. The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) published a case study detailing the deal.
Why it matters
The deal offers a template for how organizations can balance emissions by combining methane mitigation with durable carbon removal that stores CO2 for at least 1,000 years. Google published simple templates that other organizations can use for similar arrangements.
The deal covers 500,000 acres of Brazilian rice fields and targets 1 megaton of mitigation, with durable removal storing CO2 for at least 1,000 years. Financial terms and the per-ton price were not disclosed.
The players
Google is the technology company that contracted Terradot for the deal and published templates other organizations can use to balance their emissions.
Terradot
Terradot is the carbon removal company that delivers the methane abatement and enhanced rock weathering work under the deal.
Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
The Science Based Targets initiative is a body that sets corporate emissions-target standards and published a case study on the Google-Terradot deal.
The details
Alternate wetting and drying periodically aerates flooded paddies to suppress methane-producing microbes without reducing crop yields. Enhanced rock weathering spreads crushed basalt on the same fields to durably remove CO2.
Timeline
2030: Alternate wetting and drying is projected to deliver 1 megaton of mitigation.
2035: The SBTi standard lets durable carbon removal delivered after this year count toward targets.
2040: Enhanced rock weathering is projected to durably remove 1 megaton of CO2.
The Big Picture
The deal pairs enhanced rock weathering with methane cuts in Brazilian rice paddies, extending durable carbon removal beyond standalone projects into paired emissions balancing. Google calls the method net-zero warming, a framing that SBTi's published case study now documents for other buyers.
Organizations seeking to balance emissions could adopt Google's published templates, which pair methane reduction with durable removal. The method's projected cost falling toward $100 per ton could make such packages available to other corporate buyers.
The takeaway
Combining methane mitigation with durable carbon removal offers a route to balancing emissions that other organizations can replicate using published templates. Watch whether disclosed pricing follows the projected decline toward $100 per ton.
Further reading
Explore more Environmental coverage for context on how carbon removal and emissions balancing are evolving.
Source note: This article includes information reported by ESG News.
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