Angola's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
Agricultural Dominance in Emissions
Throughout Angola's history, agriculture has been the primary source of nitrous oxide emissions. The data reveals that agricultural activities have consistently contributed the largest share of emissions, particularly during the mid-20th century. This trend aligns with historical events such as the Berlin Conference and subsequent colonial rule, which intensified agricultural practices. The focus on cash crops like coffee and cotton likely exacerbated land-use changes, contributing to increased emissions.
Oil Industry's Growing Impact
The discovery of oil in 1955 marked a turning point for Angola's emissions profile. The oil industry, which became a significant economic driver, contributed to a steady increase in emissions from energy sources. This trend continued with Angola's accession to OPEC in 2007, further solidifying the oil sector's role in the country's emissions landscape. The expansion of oil production and exportation has been a key factor in the rise of energy-related emissions.
Post-War Reconstruction and Urbanization
The end of the civil war in 2002 initiated a period of reconstruction and economic recovery, leading to increased emissions from various sectors. Rapid urbanization, particularly in Luanda, has contributed to higher emissions from waste and energy consumption. The construction boom and increased demand for energy have likely played a role in this trend. Additionally, the expansion of agriculture and livestock farming post-war has contributed to rising nitrous oxide emissions.
Economic Reforms and Recent Trends
Recent economic reforms under President João Lourenço's administration aimed at diversifying Angola's economy have influenced emissions patterns. Efforts to reduce dependency on oil and promote agriculture and industry may have led to increased emissions from these sectors. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 temporarily impacted emissions, with reduced oil production leading to a decrease in energy-related emissions. However, the economic downturn may have offset these reductions through increased deforestation and land-use changes.
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.