High spatial resolution emissions inventory (2005–2022) in Chile from livestock and waste sectors

Abstract. Methane (CH₄) is a critical short-lived climate forcer (SLCF), and emissions inventories provide key information to mitigate its impact. The agricultural and waste sectors are among the most significant global anthropogenic sources of CH₄ and other atmospheric species, yet in Chile, the national greenhouse gas inventory reports them only at the regional (administrative) level. Here methane, together with other greenhouse gases and air quality pollutants from agricultural livestock, solid waste disposal, and wastewater treatment and discharge, was estimated at high spatial resolution as part of the high-resolution national inventory of anthropogenic emissions (INEMA). Annual emissions of CH₄, nitrous oxide (N₂O), ammonia (NH₃), and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) were quantified for 2005–2022, using national activity data, country-specific emission factors where available, and national spatial proxies. Over this period, combined CH₄ emissions rose by about 37 % to 574 Gg in 2022, dominated by solid waste disposal and livestock enteric fermentation, while livestock manure management was the main source of N₂O, NH₃, and NMVOC. Emissions concentrate in the central and southern zones of the country, consistent with previous inventories; however, the high resolution of INEMA resolves the specific sources behind these patterns, distinguishing diffuse pasture-based livestock emissions in the south from discrete waste disposal point sources in the central zone. By identifying the specific sources that dominate national emissions, notably a small number of high-emitting waste-disposal sites, the updated INEMA dataset (version 3.0, which integrates these livestock and waste sectors into the full national inventory; available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23169719, Álamos Correa et al., 2026) supports atmospheric modelling, complements national and global emissions inventories, and informs targeted public policies.