Georgia's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
In 2024, Georgia's anthropogenic N2O emissions totalled around 1.9 megatonnes CO2e. Agriculture was the largest source, at about 0.88 megatonnes CO2e (46%), narrowly ahead of industry at around 0.83 megatonnes CO2e (44%). Over the ten years to 2024, agriculture, industry and waste edged up, while energy and other sources declined. Energy, waste and other each contributed around 3-4%.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions began at roughly 0.1 megatonnes CO2e in the early 1850s and rose gradually to around 0.5 by 1948. They then climbed rapidly to about 1.5 in the early 1980s, peaking at roughly 1.7 in 1987. Emissions subsequently declined, reaching around 0.88 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions were near zero in the early 1850s, but grew through the first half of the twentieth century and reached around 0.13 megatonnes CO2e by the late 1950s. They peaked at roughly 0.15 in 1980, then declined unevenly, falling to about 0.055 in 2001 before recovering to around 0.07 in 2024.
Historic Industry Emissions
Industrial emissions were negligible in the nineteenth century but had reached around 0.15 megatonnes CO2e by the mid-1950s. They rose sharply to above 1 megatonne CO2e by the late 1960s and peaked at roughly 1.2 in 1974. Emissions later fell to around 0.26 in 2001 before recovering to about 0.83 in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions started at roughly 0.003 megatonnes CO2e in the early 1850s and increased gradually through the twentieth century. They peaked at around 0.066 megatonnes CO2e in 1997, then remained fairly stable, fluctuating between about 0.053 and 0.065. Emissions stood at around 0.057 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other N2O emissions began at about 0.1 megatonnes CO2e in the early 1850s and rose gradually to around 0.24 by the mid-1970s. They peaked at roughly 0.26 in 1985, then declined substantially, reaching a low of around 0.034 in 2005. They recovered partly to about 0.06 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
Keep us going and growing
10,000 people are using Climate Change Tracker for free every month. A tiny monthly donation keeps us going!
Cancel anytime. Payments processed by Stripe.com. You can manage, upgrade, cancel, and download receipts in our self service portal on Stripe. Using Stripe you agree to Stripe's Privacy Policy.
More ways to donate
via PayPal
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