Equatorial Guinea's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
Equatorial Guinea's N2O emissions totalled around 0.052 megatonnes CO2e in 2024. Other sources were largest, at around 0.015 megatonnes CO2e (29.7%), followed closely by energy at 0.013 megatonnes CO2e (25.5%), waste at 0.012 megatonnes CO2e (23.1%), and agriculture at 0.011 megatonnes CO2e (21.7%). Over the ten years to 2024, waste rose by around 0.0003 megatonnes CO2e per year, while the other three sources declined. Emissions were distributed relatively evenly across these four sources.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions were near zero in the nineteenth century, reaching around 0.001 megatonnes CO2e by the early 1900s. They rose to roughly 0.01 by the late 1940s, then varied at lower levels, peaking at around 0.013 megatonnes CO2e in 1972. After a low of around 0.007 in 1986, emissions increased overall to around 0.011 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions began near zero in the mid-nineteenth century and rose gradually to around 0.002 megatonnes CO2e by the mid-1930s. Growth continued to roughly 0.006 by the early 1980s, before emissions climbed and fluctuated at higher levels. They peaked at around 0.021 megatonnes CO2e in 2007, then declined to around 0.013 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions were near zero until the early 1950s, when they reached around 0.001 megatonnes CO2e. They increased slowly to roughly 0.003 by 2002, then rose more strongly through the following two decades. Waste emissions reached their highest level of around 0.012 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions started at around 0.001 megatonnes CO2e in the mid-nineteenth century and changed little until the early 1970s. They then rose sharply, reaching around 0.022 by 2007, although the overall peak of roughly 0.024 occurred in 1987. Emissions subsequently declined, reaching around 0.015 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