Lesotho's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
In 2024, Lesotho's N2O emissions totalled around 0.491 megatonnes CO2e. Agriculture was by far the largest source, at around 0.341 megatonnes CO2e and 69.5% of emissions, declining by about 0.021 megatonnes CO2e per year over the ten years to 2024. Energy contributed 0.080 megatonnes CO2e (16.2%) and fell slightly. Other sources supplied 0.034 megatonnes CO2e (6.9%), waste 0.023 (4.6%), and industry 0.013 (2.7%); industry and other rose marginally while waste declined slightly.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions began at around 0.022 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually to about 0.155 by 1942, before climbing rapidly to roughly 0.513 in 1949. They then varied at higher levels, peaking at around 0.65 in 1999. After reaching about 0.603 in 2007, emissions declined to around 0.341 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions started at around 0.003 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and increased gradually through the following century, reaching about 0.066 in 1962. Growth then slowed, with emissions peaking at roughly 0.101 megatonnes CO2e in 2009. They declined modestly thereafter, ending at around 0.080 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Industry Emissions
Industrial emissions were near zero until the early twentieth century, reaching around 0.003 megatonnes CO2e by 1959. They then rose steadily, to roughly 0.009 by 1989 and about 0.013 in 2024. The 2024 level was the highest in the period.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions began at around 0.001 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually to about 0.007 by 1961. They continued increasing to roughly 0.026 in 2010, peaking at around 0.027 in 2011. Emissions then edged down, ending at approximately 0.023 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other N2O emissions started at around 0.006 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually to roughly 0.016 by 1971. They increased further through the following decades, peaking at around 0.036 megatonnes CO2e in 2007. Emissions then remained close to that level, ending at approximately 0.034 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