Côte d’Ivoire's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
Agricultural Intensification and Emissions
In the 1980s, Côte d'Ivoire's agricultural sector underwent significant intensification, particularly in cocoa and coffee production. This shift involved increased use of nitrogen-based fertilizers, leading to a notable rise in nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions. The data reflects this trend, showing a marked increase in agricultural emissions during this period. This intensification contributed to a substantial portion of the country's overall N₂O emissions, highlighting the environmental impact of agricultural practices.
Impact of Civil Conflict
The early 2000s were marked by civil conflict in Côte d'Ivoire, which disrupted agricultural activities and led to population displacement. This period saw fluctuations in agricultural emissions, with potential reductions due to decreased agricultural output. However, the reliance on biomass for energy during the conflict likely offset these reductions, contributing to CO₂ emissions. The complex interplay of these factors is evident in the emission trends of the time.
Renewable Energy and Sustainable Practices
In recent years, Côte d'Ivoire has made strides in renewable energy and sustainable agricultural practices. The mid-2010s saw investments in solar and hydroelectric power, aiming to reduce fossil fuel reliance. Additionally, initiatives for sustainable cocoa production have been implemented, focusing on reducing deforestation and improving land management. These efforts are expected to contribute to a gradual decrease in emissions, reflecting the country's commitment to environmental sustainability.
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.