Development of a methodological framework for calculation of carbon footprint of rice production in Vietnam

Abstract

Currently, there are various standards and guidelines to calculate product carbon footprints in the world such as the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol of the World Resources Institute/World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WRI/WBCSD), ISO 14067, and PAS 2050. Most of the studies on carbon footprints of rice production adopt the ISO Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method while very few studies apply PAS 2050 and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Agricultural Guidance of WRI/ WBCSD. However, the above standards and guidelines do not provide a separate methodology for calculating carbon footprints of rice production. From that perspective, this research paper has developed a methodology to calculate the carbon footprints of rice production from the upstream processes, rice production process to postfarm stage. However, several sources of GHG emissions during the life cycle of rice have not been included in this methodological framework due to either the lack of data or complicated calculation methods.