Bulgaria's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
Industrialization and Early Emissions
Bulgaria's journey through industrialization began in the late 19th century, following its liberation from Ottoman rule in 1878. This period marked the initial use of coal, leading to a modest rise in emissions. The establishment of railways and factories contributed to the nascent industrial emissions, setting the stage for future increases.
Communist Era and Emission Surge
The establishment of a communist regime in 1944 brought rapid industrialization and agricultural collectivization, significantly boosting emissions. The expansion of heavy industries and intensified agricultural practices led to a substantial rise in greenhouse gases, including N2O. The development of the Maritsa Iztok energy complex in 1962 further increased emissions due to its reliance on lignite coal.
Post-Communist Transition and Emission Decline
The end of communist rule in 1989 marked a turning point, with economic restructuring leading to a temporary reduction in emissions. The decline in industrial output and changes in agricultural practices contributed to this decrease. The transition towards a market economy and the closure of inefficient industries played a crucial role in reducing emissions during the early 1990s.
EU Membership and Renewable Energy Shift
Bulgaria's accession to the European Union in 2007 and the implementation of the Renewable Energy Act in 2012 marked a shift towards renewable energy sources. These developments, along with the ratification of the Paris Agreement in 2015, led to a gradual decline in emissions. The focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency has been instrumental in reducing Bulgaria's reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.
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.