Belize's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
Belize's N2O emissions totalled about 0.134 megatonnes CO2e in 2024. Agriculture was by far the largest source, at around 0.103 megatonnes CO2e or 76.6% of national emissions, declining by about 0.007 megatonnes CO2e per year over the ten years to 2024. Waste contributed roughly 0.015 megatonnes CO2e (11.4%) and rose slowly, while Other sources accounted for around 0.010 megatonnes CO2e (7.6%) and were broadly stable.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions were near zero in the nineteenth century and remained small until the mid-twentieth century, reaching about 0.005 megatonnes CO2e by 1942. They rose unevenly thereafter, peaking at roughly 0.067 megatonnes CO2e in 1992 before falling back. Emissions climbed more strongly after the late 1990s, reaching a high of about 0.178 megatonnes CO2e in 2020, then declined to around 0.103 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions began near zero in the nineteenth century and increased gradually through the twentieth century, becoming more noticeable from the 1960s onward. They rose from around 0.003 megatonnes CO2e in 1962 to about 0.007 in 1993, then continued upward. Waste emissions reached their highest level, around 0.015 megatonnes CO2e, in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other N2O emissions started at about 0.001 megatonnes CO2e in the nineteenth century and remained low through 1960, when they were around 0.003. They increased thereafter but varied substantially, peaking at roughly 0.033 megatonnes CO2e in 2011. Emissions subsequently fell back and ended at around 0.010 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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via DonorboxAbout the Data
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