Ghana's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
Ghana's N2O emissions totalled around 6.8 megatonnes CO2e in 2024 and were heavily dominated by agriculture, at roughly 5.5 megatonnes CO2e or 81%. Other sources contributed around 0.54 megatonnes CO2e (8%), waste 0.39 megatonnes CO2e (5.7%), and energy 0.35 megatonnes CO2e (5.2%). Over the ten years to 2024, all four sources increased, led in absolute terms by agriculture.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions began at around 0.08 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and remained below 0.5 megatonnes through the early 1940s, despite reaching roughly 0.48 in 1930. They then rose sharply to around 1.4 megatonnes by 1946, fluctuated through the following decades, and climbed from about 2.1 in 1985 to a peak of roughly 5.5 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions started at approximately 0.004 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually from low levels through the twentieth century. They increased from around 0.03 megatonnes in 1935 to roughly 0.14 by 1983, then continued upward. Emissions reached their peak, around 0.35 megatonnes CO2e, in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions were around 0.006 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and stayed low until the mid-twentieth century. They rose gradually to about 0.02 megatonnes in 1935 and around 0.11 by 1990, before accelerating. Waste emissions reached a peak of approximately 0.39 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions began near 0.006 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and remained close to zero until the late 1960s. They rose quickly to roughly 0.34 megatonnes by 1991, then varied, dipping to around 0.27 in 1997 and peaking near 0.63 in 2020. They ended at approximately 0.54 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