Democratic People's Republic of Korea's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
In 2024, Democratic People's Republic of Korea's N2O emissions totalled around 1.9 megatonnes CO2e. Agriculture dominated, at about 1.1 megatonnes CO2e or 55%, followed by Other at 0.36 megatonnes CO2e (19%), Energy at 0.28 (14%), and Waste at 0.23 (12%); Industry was near zero. Over the ten years to 2024, agriculture and waste declined, while energy and other sources increased; industry was essentially unchanged.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions began at around 0.04 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually before accelerating from the 1940s through 1981, reaching about 4.5 megatonnes CO2e. They peaked at roughly 5.2 megatonnes CO2e in 1991, then declined markedly to around 1.1 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions were near zero in the nineteenth century, reaching around 0.04 megatonnes CO2e by 1951. They increased through the following decades and peaked at about 0.6 megatonnes CO2e in 1985. After falling during the early 1990s, emissions fluctuated at lower levels and ended at around 0.28 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Industry Emissions
Industrial emissions started close to zero and became significant after 1950, rising rapidly to about 1.4 megatonnes CO2e by 1981. They peaked at roughly 3.1 megatonnes CO2e in 1989, then fell sharply, reaching effectively zero by the early 2000s. Emissions remained near zero, at around 0.0001 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions began at around 0.01 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose steadily through much of the twentieth century. They reached a peak of roughly 0.26 megatonnes CO2e in 1990, then remained broadly stable at slightly lower levels. Waste emissions finished at around 0.23 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions started at around 0.13 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually to about 0.32 by 1970. They increased further and peaked at roughly 0.76 megatonnes CO2e in 1988, before declining and dipping to around 0.16 in 2015. They recovered to about 0.36 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