Table of Contents
Rice cultivation is a major source of global methane emissions, prompting innovators to find scalable solutions. Xavier Laguarta Soler co-founded Mitti Labs to train over 100,000 smallholder farmers across Southeast Asia in sustainable methods to reduce methane, utilizing satellite data, artificial intelligence, and field observations to monitor progress.
Expanding Carbon Markets and Government Action
Governments need to stop debating carbon markets and start using them actively. Under the United Nations aviation climate scheme, airlines must purchase approximately 200 million carbon credits to offset emission growth through 2026, yet only about 10 countries have authorized projects to sell to them, leaving funds for developing countries stalled.
While voluntary purchases by companies launched these markets, they remain insufficient on their own. Singapore and Japan serve as strong models by pricing carbon for major emitters and allowing them to use credits from overseas projects. Singapore has established carbon agreements with a dozen countries, and more governments should implement domestic carbon pricing and authorize eligible projects.
Addressing Nitrous Oxide Emissions in Agriculture
Nitrous oxide is a gas roughly 270 times more potent than carbon dioxide, accounting for about a tenth of global warming so far. In India, more than half of the nitrogen applied by farmers is lost to groundwater runoff or escapes into the air. Simple tools, such as color charts held against rice leaves, can help farmers determine exact crop needs. A past program in China enabled nearly 21 million smallholders to reduce nitrogen use by roughly 15 percent while increasing yields by about 11 percent.
Nitrous oxide receives limited attention and funding primarily because it is difficult to measure, as emissions occur in short bursts following rain or fertilization. When the Strait of Hormuz closed, global urea prices doubled quickly, demonstrating that fertilizer-importing governments should evaluate actual crop requirements to help farmers use less nitrogen.
Corporate Commitment to Climate Action
Despite political cycles and backlash, large corporations planning for long-term survival continue driving climate initiatives, often with less public visibility. Companies like Mars and PepsiCo are partnering with farmers globally to achieve regenerative farmland targets by 2030, while global energy transition investment reached a record $2.3 trillion.
Google committed at least $50 million through 2030 to eliminate superpollutants like methane and partnered with other firms to increase the Frontier coalition’s future carbon removal commitment to $1.8 billion, alongside Microsoft’s extensive removal contracts.
In September 2026, Mitti Labs announced an agreement for Google to purchase 1 million carbon credits through 2030 to support rice-farming projects in India.
