Algeria's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
Algeria's N2O emissions totalled around 8.1 megatonnes CO2e in 2024. Agriculture dominated, at roughly 5.2 megatonnes CO2e (63.8%), rising by around 0.02 megatonnes CO2e per year over the ten years to 2024. Other sources accounted for 0.8 megatonnes CO2e (9.8%) and waste 0.7 megatonnes CO2e (9.1%), both increasing. Industry contributed 0.7 megatonnes CO2e (8.9%) but declined sharply, while energy supplied 0.7 megatonnes CO2e (8.3%) and edged down.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions began at around 0.06 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and remained low into the early twentieth century. They rose unevenly thereafter, reaching a temporary peak of roughly 1.4 megatonnes CO2e in 1950 before falling back below 1 megatonne by 1960. Growth resumed from 1960, and emissions reached their record high of around 5.2 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions started at roughly 0.01 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually to around 0.05 megatonnes CO2e by the early 1940s. They continued increasing slowly through the early 2000s, then grew more quickly. Emissions peaked at about 0.72 megatonnes CO2e in 2019, before easing to around 0.67 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Industry Emissions
Industrial emissions were near zero until the late 1920s. They increased unevenly through the twentieth century, reaching roughly 0.48 megatonnes CO2e in 1993 before falling back to around 0.2 megatonnes CO2e by 1997. Emissions then climbed to a peak of about 1.1 megatonnes CO2e in 2019, before declining to around 0.73 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions started at around 0.01 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually for more than a century. Growth became more substantial from the late 1960s, lifting emissions from about 0.1 megatonnes CO2e to roughly 0.5 megatonnes CO2e by 2007. They continued rising thereafter, reaching their peak of around 0.74 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other-source emissions began at roughly 0.01 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and remained very low through the mid-1960s. They rose steadily to around 0.3 megatonnes CO2e by 2004, then increased more rapidly. Emissions reached their highest level, about 0.8 megatonnes CO2e, in 2024.
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
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National N2O emissions data through 2024 is from the PRIMAP-hist dataset, which combines several published sources into a historical emissions time series.
The Key Insights paragraph was created using a large language model (LLM) in combination with our data, historic events, and a structured approach for best accuracy by separating the context generation from the interpretation and narrative.
Data Sources
PRIMAP-hist The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series (1750-2024)
Update cycle: Every few monthsDelay: Less than 1 yearCredits: Gütschow, J.; Busch, D.; Pflüger, M. (2025): The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series v2.7 (1750-2024). zenodo. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17090760