Georgia's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
Agricultural Dominance in Emissions
Throughout the decades, agriculture has been the primary source of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in Georgia. This sector consistently contributed the largest share of emissions, peaking in the late 20th century. The Soviet era's industrialization efforts, while increasing emissions from other sectors, did not overshadow agriculture's dominance. However, post-Soviet economic shifts led to a decline in agricultural emissions, reflecting the broader economic downturn and restructuring.
Industrial Fluctuations and Soviet Influence
The industrial sector saw significant fluctuations in N2O emissions, particularly during the Soviet Union's industrialization phase. The rapid development of heavy industries in the mid-20th century led to a sharp increase in emissions. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 resulted in a marked decrease in industrial activity, leading to a temporary reduction in emissions. This period of economic instability was characterized by a complex interplay of decreasing CO₂ emissions and increasing methane emissions due to poorly managed infrastructure.
Energy Sector's Modest Contribution
The energy sector's contribution to N2O emissions has been relatively modest compared to agriculture and industry. The completion of the Enguri Dam in 1978 marked a shift towards hydropower, which does not directly produce CO₂ emissions. However, the construction and associated infrastructure development likely led to temporary increases in emissions. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline's opening in 2006 further integrated Georgia into global oil transportation, contributing to emissions through increased oil production and transportation activities.
Recent Trends and Renewable Initiatives
In recent years, Georgia has made strides in reducing emissions through renewable energy initiatives. Starting in 2014, the country focused on increasing the share of hydropower and wind energy, aiming to decrease reliance on fossil fuels. These efforts have contributed to a reduction in CO₂ emissions, aligning with global trends towards sustainable energy solutions. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 further reduced emissions temporarily due to decreased economic activity, highlighting the potential for long-term changes in energy consumption patterns.
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.