Algeria's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
Agricultural Emissions Dominate
Throughout the decades, Algeria's N2O emissions have been predominantly driven by agriculture. This sector has consistently contributed the largest share of emissions, reflecting the country's agricultural practices and land use. The decadal data shows a steady increase in emissions from agriculture, with significant jumps in the latter half of the 20th century. This trend aligns with Algeria's post-independence focus on expanding its agricultural output to support economic growth.
Energy and Industry on the Rise
While agriculture remains the primary source, emissions from energy and industry have shown notable increases, particularly from the mid-20th century onwards. The discovery of the Hassi Messaoud oil field in 1956 and subsequent nationalization of hydrocarbons in 1971 marked the beginning of significant energy sector emissions. The launch of the In Amenas gas project in 1980 further contributed to this rise. Industrial emissions, although initially negligible, saw a sharp increase in the late 20th century, coinciding with the expansion of Sonatrach's operations in the 1990s.
Recent Developments and Future Outlook
In recent years, Algeria has taken steps to diversify its energy sources, as evidenced by the 2015 Renewable Energy Development Plan. This initiative aims to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and curb emissions. However, the exploration of shale gas reserves in 2010 and the start of LNG exports in 2004 have added complexity to the emissions landscape. The temporary halt in shale gas exploration due to protests in 2019 highlights the ongoing tension between economic development and environmental concerns. As Algeria continues to navigate these challenges, the balance between energy production and emission reduction remains a critical focus.
Background
The chart shows a national breakdown by source of the yearly nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from human activities and processes, expressed as weight in megatonnes (Mt). Human-induced emissions are the main driver of the increasing atmospheric nitrous oxide that is warming our planet. The sources of human nitrous oxide emissions are
- Agriculture
- Energy
- Industry
- Waste
- Other
Agriculture
Emissions related to agriculture are mainly from the use of synthetic fertilizers and manure management.
Synthetic fertilizer, used for agricultural processes, contains a lot of nitrogen. That nitrogen in the soil reacts and causes considerable N2O emissions. The use of excess fertilizer, meaning more fertilizer than the plants can use to grow, causes even higher relative emissions. Applying the right amount of fertilizer at the right time can reduce N2O emissions. There are many technical solutions to reduce emissions while keeping, or even increasing, agricultural yields.
When manure is left on the field or otherwise managed in dry processes, it emits considerable amounts of nitrous oxide. Manure can be managed by wet processes, which reduces nitrous oxide emissions but increases methane emissions. Some technical solutions focus on modifying the animal feed to reduce the nitrogen in the manure, thereby reducing nitrous oxide emissions.
Energy, Industry, Waste, and Other
All non-agricultural categories together have much lower emissions than agricultural emissions alone.
N2O emissions related to energy are almost all from the combustion of fossil fuels. For example, the combustion of fossil fuels in power plants, cars, and airplanes not only causes CO2 emissions but also emits nitrous oxide (N2O). Any advances to reducing fossil fuel dependency will thus also reduce nitrous oxide emissions.
Most industry-related emissions are from the chemical industry for producing fertilizer, nylon, and similar products. Technologies are available to reduce emissions in these processes.
Nitrous oxide emissions from waste come from, for example, wastewater treatment and landfills.
Wikipedia: Nitrous oxideIPCC: AR6, 5.16 Anthropogenic nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions
Units and Measures
N2O emissions are expressed in the total weight in megatonnes per year. 1 Megatonne is equal to 1 million tonnes.
Wikipedia: MegatonneWikipedia: Global warming potential
About the Data
The last available year in all the emission datasets is 2023. N2O emissions come from the PRIMAP-Hist dataset. It is a rich dataset that combines several published sources to create a historical emissions time series for various greenhouse gases.
The Key Insights paragraph was generated using a large language model (LLM) using a structured approach to improve the accuracy. This included separating the context generation from the interpretation and narrative.
Data Sources
PRIMAP-hist The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series (1750-2023)
Update cycle: Every few monthsDelay: Less than 1 yearCredits: Gütschow, Johannes; Busch, Daniel; Pflüger, Mika (2024): The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series (1750-2023) v2.6. Zenodo.