Iran's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
Iran's N2O emissions totalled around 32 megatonnes CO2e in 2024. Agriculture dominated, at roughly 18 megatonnes CO2e (57%), followed by energy at about 6.0 (19%) and industry at 4.3 (13%). Other sources contributed around 2.2 (7%) and waste 1.3 (4%). Over the ten years to 2024, all sources increased: agriculture by about 0.54 megatonnes CO2e per year, energy by 0.09, industry by 0.03, other by 0.02, and waste by 0.01.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions began at around 0.4 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually until the early 1930s. Growth then accelerated, reaching roughly 7 megatonnes by 1973 and nearly 18 by 2004. Emissions peaked at about 20 megatonnes CO2e in 2006, then fluctuated, falling to around 14 in 2015 before reaching 18.3 in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions were very low in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, rising from roughly 0.02 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 to 0.4 by 1966. They increased thereafter, briefly reaching about 2.7 in 1999 before falling back. Growth resumed after 2002, and emissions reached their record high of around 6.0 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Industry Emissions
Industrial emissions were near zero until the late 1920s, then rose to around 0.6 megatonnes CO2e by 1963. They climbed sharply to nearly 1.8 by 1968, followed by a brief dip around 1970. Emissions then increased gradually over subsequent decades, reaching their highest level of about 4.3 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions started at roughly 0.02 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and remained low through the early twentieth century. They rose steadily from around 0.1 in the late 1930s to about 0.9 by 1996. Growth slowed thereafter but continued, with emissions reaching their peak of around 1.3 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other N2O emissions began at around 0.1 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose only slowly until the early 1970s. They then increased more rapidly, reaching a peak of about 2.2 megatonnes CO2e in 2014. Emissions dipped to roughly 1.9 in 2016 before recovering partially to around 2.2 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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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