China, Macao's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
Early Industrialization and Emissions
Macao's journey with anthropogenic N2O emissions began in the late 19th century with the establishment of its first power plant in 1887. This marked the onset of industrial energy production, likely contributing to a rise in emissions. However, significant data on N2O emissions from this period is sparse, reflecting the nascent stage of industrialization.
Urban Expansion and Energy Use
The 1960s saw Macao's urban landscape transform, with land reclamation and construction activities driving energy consumption. Despite the lack of specific N2O data, this period likely saw increased emissions due to fossil fuel use in construction and transportation. The opening of Macao International Airport in 1984 further amplified emissions, as aviation fuel combustion became a significant contributor.
Economic Growth and Emission Trends
The handover of Macao to China in 1999 ushered in a new era of economic development, with increased industrial activities and infrastructure development. This period coincides with a notable rise in N2O emissions, particularly from energy and other sources. The casino industry boom in the early 2000s further fueled energy demand, contributing to the upward trend in emissions.
Recent Developments and Emission Patterns
In recent decades, Macao's emissions have been influenced by major infrastructure projects like the Cotai Strip and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. While these developments initially increased emissions, they also hold potential for long-term reductions through improved transportation efficiency. The data reflects a complex interplay of economic growth and environmental impact, with energy and other sources being the primary contributors to N2O emissions in recent years.
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.