Denmark's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
In 2024, Denmark emitted around 4.7 megatonnes CO2e of anthropogenic N2O. Agriculture dominated, at around 3.8 megatonnes CO2e or 81.6% of national emissions, declining by about 0.057 megatonnes CO2e per year over the ten years to 2024. Energy contributed 0.434 megatonnes CO2e (9.3%) and also fell. Industry, at 0.124 megatonnes CO2e (2.6%), and waste, at 0.219 megatonnes CO2e (4.7%), increased, while other sources fell to 0.084 megatonnes CO2e (1.8%).
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions rose from roughly 0.3 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 to around 1.0 by the early 1900s, then changed little until the early 1930s. They climbed rapidly to a peak of roughly 5.8 megatonnes CO2e in 1979, before declining. Emissions varied around 4 megatonnes CO2e after 2006 and ended at 3.822 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions began at around 0.04 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually to nearly 0.3 by the early 1930s. After remaining broadly stable through the early 1950s, they increased to a peak of roughly 0.6 megatonnes CO2e in 1979. They subsequently fluctuated at lower levels, ending at 0.434 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Industry Emissions
Industrial emissions were near zero in the nineteenth century and remained small until the mid-twentieth century, reaching around 0.3 megatonnes CO2e in 1949. They then surged, peaking at roughly 3.2 megatonnes CO2e in 1974, before a long decline with some recovery after a 2006 low. They ended at 0.124 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions started at roughly 0.007 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose slowly for more than a century. Growth continued from the late 1930s, reaching around 0.1 megatonnes CO2e by the mid-1980s. They then increased further, reaching their record high of 0.219 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions began at around 0.1 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually to roughly 0.3 through the 1970s. They reached a peak of around 0.4 megatonnes CO2e in 1986, then declined steadily from the late 1980s. Emissions fell to 0.084 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