Google Expands Climate Investment in Brazil

Google has signed its largest carbon-removal agreement to date, backing a major project in southern Brazil that will combine lower methane emissions from rice farming with permanent carbon removal. The initiative, developed with climate technology company Terradot, will cover more than 200,000 hectares in Rio Grande do Sul, extending Google’s climate investment into one of Brazil’s most important agricultural regions.

The agreement targets one million tonnes of methane-abatement impact by 2030 and another one million tonnes of carbon removal by 2040. Terradot will use crushed volcanic rock on farmland to accelerate a natural process that draws carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, while adjustments to rice cultivation are intended to reduce methane. Google has already invested in Terradot and previously agreed to buy 200,000 tonnes of carbon removal from the company.

Brazil offers favourable conditions for the project because of its vast agricultural base, tropical climate and access to the minerals required for enhanced rock weathering. Those advantages have already attracted a growing share of investment in the technology, while Terradot has made the country the centre of its operations. The latest deal gives the company a large long-term buyer as it works towards commercial scale.

Google’s move also points to a broader shift in how climate finance is reaching emerging markets. Long-term corporate commitments can give early-stage technologies the certainty needed to attract capital, scale operations and build local supply chains. If the Brazilian project proves commercially viable, it could strengthen the case for similar investments across other major agricultural economies and widen the role of carbon removal within global investment portfolios.