Bosnia and Herzegovina's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
In 2024, Bosnia and Herzegovina's N2O emissions totalled around 1.46 megatonnes CO2e. Agriculture was the largest source at around 0.71 megatonnes CO2e, or 48.7%, followed by energy at roughly 0.49 megatonnes CO2e, or 33.4%. Waste contributed around 0.16 megatonnes CO2e (10.9%), other sources 0.09 (6.4%), and industry 0.01 (0.7%). Over the ten years to 2024, agriculture fell by about 0.06 megatonnes CO2e per year, while energy, waste and other sources rose; industry was nearly unchanged.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions began at around 0.03 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and remained low but variable into the early twentieth century. They rose strongly from the early 1940s to around 0.63 megatonnes CO2e in 1959, then fluctuated. After falling to about 0.50 in 1995, emissions peaked at roughly 1.23 megatonnes CO2e in 2015 before ending at around 0.71 in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions started near 0.001 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and stayed very small through the first half of the record. They rose gradually to around 0.10 megatonnes CO2e by 2010, then increased sharply. Emissions peaked at roughly 0.55 megatonnes CO2e in 2018 and ended at about 0.49 in 2024.
Historic Industry Emissions
Industry emissions were near zero until the early twentieth century, then rose gradually to around 0.01 megatonnes CO2e by the mid-1970s. They remained low and broadly stable thereafter, reaching a peak of roughly 0.014 megatonnes CO2e in 1988. By 2024, industry emissions had edged down to around 0.01 megatonnes CO2e.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions started at roughly 0.007 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose steadily through the twentieth century, reaching around 0.13 megatonnes CO2e by the early 1980s. They then varied within a narrow range, dipping to about 0.13 in 1999. Waste emissions reached their highest level, around 0.16 megatonnes CO2e, in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions began at around 0.03 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually to about 0.10 by 1990, peaking at roughly 0.11 megatonnes CO2e in 1986. They then fell sharply to around 0.05 in 1993 and dipped further in 1994 before recovering. Emissions ended at approximately 0.09 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