Italy's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
Italy's N2O emissions totalled around 15.2 megatonnes CO2e in 2024. Agriculture dominated, at roughly 10.0 megatonnes CO2e (65.5%), followed by energy at 2.4 (15.6%), waste at 1.4 (9.3%), other sources at 0.8 (5.1%) and industry at 0.7 (4.5%). Over the ten years to 2024, all sources except waste declined: agriculture by about 0.05 megatonnes CO2e per year, energy by 0.02, industry by 0.005 and other sources by 0.03; waste edged up by 0.005.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions began at around 0.8 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually to roughly 3.1 by 1941. They then surged to about 8.5 in 1948 and continued upward, peaking at approximately 15.3 megatonnes CO2e in 1985. Emissions subsequently declined to around 10.0 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions started at about 0.1 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and climbed gradually to nearly 0.9 by the early 1930s, before remaining broadly stable into the early 1950s. They then rose steadily, reaching a peak of roughly 3.0 megatonnes CO2e in 2005, before declining to around 2.4 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Industry Emissions
Industrial emissions were near zero until the early 1930s, then grew rapidly to almost 10 megatonnes CO2e by 1966. They varied thereafter, falling to roughly 4.7 in 1983 before reaching their overall peak of about 12.5 in 1987. A sustained decline followed, bringing emissions to around 0.7 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions began at around 0.07 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and increased slowly to roughly 0.3 by 1940. Growth strengthened after 1940, taking emissions to about 1.0 by the late 1960s and a peak of around 1.4 in 2010. They then remained broadly stable, ending at approximately 1.4 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions started at roughly 0.7 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually to around 1.5 by the late 1960s. They continued upward, peaking at approximately 2.0 megatonnes CO2e in 1992. Emissions then declined substantially, reaching around 0.8 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