Pulses: Emissions
Among the lowest-carbon proteins on the planet
What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint of the commodity at a global level, split by lifecycle phase: extraction (or farming), refining and processing, movement, usage, and recycling or end of life. Intensities are per unit of product; the global total combines intensity with world output. Also covers other environmental impacts and the main levers to cut emissions. Emission intensity 1.60 t CO2e per t range 0.8 (peas, median) to 1.79 (other pulses, mean); Clark et al. 2022: chickpeas 1.34, beans 1.37, lentils 2.54 · cradle-to-retail global median, GWP100 Global emissions per year 160 Mt CO2e per year 2024 · 1.6 t CO2e/t x 97.1 Mt (indicative)Per t of dry pulses at retail (other pulses: lentils, chickpeas, beans); cradle-to-retail. Intensity: Poore & Nemecek 2018 (Science), median stage values as tabulated by Our World in Data (indicative); Clark et al. 2022 (PNAS), via Our World in Data. Global total: derived from FAOSTAT 2024 and Poore & Nemecek 2018.
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Extraction 69% Refining / processing 25% Movement 6%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction | about 1.1 t CO2e/t | 69% | diesel, phosphorus fertiliser, field N2O from crop residues; low yields raise per-tonne emissions | Pulses fix their own nitrogen, so they need little or no N fertiliser and lower N needs of the next crop. No land-use change on average. | Poore & Nemecek 2018 (Science), median stage values as tabulated by Our World in Data (indicative); Pulse Canada lentil LCA (UBC PRISM lab) |
| Refining / processing | packaging about 0.4 t CO2e/t; milling near zero | 25% | cans and packs, dal milling and cleaning | Canned pulses carry most of the packaging footprint; loose dry dal far less. | Poore & Nemecek 2018 (Science), median stage values as tabulated by Our World in Data (indicative) |
| Movement | about 0.1 t CO2e/t | 6% | rail to port and ocean freight | Even Canada-to-India shipping is small per tonne because pulses are dry and dense. | Poore & Nemecek 2018 (Science), median stage values as tabulated by Our World in Data (indicative) |
| Usage | not in the cradle-to-retail total | – | soaking and long cooking, often on LPG | Pressure cooking cuts cooking energy compared with open pots. | indicative |
| Recycling / end of life | not applicable as recycling | – | husks and broken grain from dal mills | Husks and brokens are sold as cattle feed. | indicative |
Other environmental impacts
Pulses use land at about 15-27 m2 per kg (Clark et al. 2022) because yields are low, but they improve soil nitrogen. Their emissions per 100 g of protein are among the lowest of any food: 0.84 kg for other pulses and 0.44 kg for peas (Poore & Nemecek via Pulse Canada).
Levers to cut emissions
- Raise yields: India's 0.84-1.15 t/ha against 2.18 t/ha for Australian chickpeas (FAOSTAT 2024)
- Use pulses in rotations to cut nitrogen fertiliser for the following cereal crop
- Sell loose or in light packs rather than cans
- Shift diets from meat to pulses, the largest single lever per unit of protein
India
India's pulses are mostly rain-fed and use little fertiliser, but low yields (0.68-1.15 t/ha, FAOSTAT 2024) raise emissions per tonne. India also imports 7.34 Mt (FY2025), adding ocean shipping from Canada, Australia and Russia.
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.