Methane emissions from livestock in East Asia during 1961−2019

Context:East Asia is a crucial region in the global methane(CH4)budget,with significant contributions from the livestock sector.However,the long-term trend and spatial pattern of CH4 emissions from livestock in this region have not been fully assessed.Methods:Here,we estimate CH4 emissions from 10 categories of livestock in East Asia during 1961-2019 following the Tier 2 approaches suggested by the 2019 Refinement to the IPCC 2006 Guidelines.Results:livestock-sourced CH4 emission in 2019 was 13.22[11.42-15.01](mean[minimum%maximum of 95-confidence interval]Tg CH4 yr-1,accounting for an increase of 231%since 1961.The contribution of slaughtered populations to total emissions increased from 3%in 1961 to 24%in 2019.Spatially,the emission hotspots were mostly distributed in eastern China,South Korea,and parts of Japan,but they tend to shift northward after 2000.Conclusion:It is necessary to use dynamic emission factors and include slaughtered populations in the estimation of livestock CH4 emissions.Regions including Northern China,Mongolia,and South Korea deserve more attention in future CH4 mitigation efforts.