Google signs record superpollutant deal

September 12, 2026

Google has signed its largest agreement to date targeting superpollutant emissions, partnering with climate technology company Mitti Labs to reduce methane from rice farming in India.

Under the four-year agreement, Google will purchase 1 million carbon credits generated by projects that help more than 70,000 smallholder farmers adopt farming techniques designed to lower methane emissions. The initiative is expected to cover more than 100,000 hectares of rice fields by 2030.

The agreement expands Google’s climate strategy beyond carbon dioxide, focusing on methane and other short-lived greenhouse gases that can have an especially powerful warming effect in the atmosphere.

Tackling methane emissions from rice farming

Rice cultivation is a significant source of agricultural methane. Traditional rice farming often keeps paddies continuously flooded, creating oxygen-poor conditions in the soil where methane-producing microorganisms thrive.

Rice cultivation is estimated to account for around 12% of global methane emissions, making it one of the largest agricultural sources of the greenhouse gas.

To address the problem, Mitti Labs is helping farmers implement a technique known as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD).

Instead of maintaining permanently flooded fields, farmers periodically allow water levels to fall before irrigating the paddies again. This changes soil conditions and can substantially reduce the production of methane.

According to Mitti Labs, the method can cut methane emissions by approximately 50% while lowering irrigation water consumption by nearly 40%, without reducing crop yields.

AI and satellite technology track climate impact

Mitti Labs combines artificial intelligence, satellite monitoring and field-level data to measure emissions reductions and verify the environmental impact of its projects.

The company also uses satellite-based monitoring enabled by NASA technology alongside information gathered directly from participating farms.

This monitoring system is intended to provide reliable measurements of methane reductions while helping farmers successfully implement improved water-management practices.

The use of technology is particularly important for carbon credit projects, where accurately measuring and verifying emissions reductions is essential to establishing the environmental value of the credits.

Project could save 1.5 trillion liters of water

The benefits of the initiative extend beyond methane reduction.

By reducing the amount of time rice fields remain flooded, AWD can significantly decrease agricultural water consumption — an important advantage in regions facing increasing pressure on freshwater supplies.

Google and Mitti Labs estimate that the partnership could ultimately save around 1.5 trillion liters of water.

By 2030, more than 100,000 hectares of rice paddies are expected to transition to the new water-management system.

The resulting climate impact is projected to equal approximately 1 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent over a 100-year measurement period. When methane’s stronger near-term warming impact is evaluated over 20 years, the benefit could reach approximately 3 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

Why Google is targeting superpollutants

Methane belongs to a group of greenhouse gases often described as superpollutants because of their strong warming effects.

Although many of these pollutants remain in the atmosphere for much less time than carbon dioxide, they can trap significantly more heat during their atmospheric lifetime. Rapidly reducing methane and similar gases is therefore viewed as an important strategy for slowing global warming in the near term.

Google has increasingly incorporated superpollutant reduction into its broader climate strategy.

Earlier in 2026, the company committed to spending at least $50 million through 2030 on projects targeting methane, fluorinated gases and other non-CO2 greenhouse gases through its participation in the Superpollutant Action Initiative.

The Mitti Labs agreement represents Google’s largest superpollutant elimination deal announced so far.

Climate action with benefits for farmers

The partnership could also provide economic and operational benefits for smallholder farmers.

Reducing irrigation requirements can lower water use and help farms become more resilient in areas experiencing water stress. At the same time, participation in carbon credit programs can create additional financial incentives for farmers to adopt lower-emission agricultural practices.

For Google, the agreement demonstrates how corporate climate finance can support emissions reductions outside a company's direct operations while helping scale emerging agricultural technologies.

If successful, the project could provide a model for expanding methane-reduction practices across rice-producing regions worldwide, combining climate mitigation, water conservation and more sustainable agriculture.The central figures—1 million credits, 70,000+ farmers, 100,000+ hectares, roughly 50% methane reduction, nearly 40% lower irrigation use, and an estimated 1.5 trillion liters of water saved—are based on the companies’ reported projections. 

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