Liberia's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
Liberia's N2O emissions totalled around 0.52 megatonnes CO2e in 2024. Agriculture was the largest source, at about 0.24 megatonnes CO2e or 47.1%, followed by energy at 0.14 megatonnes CO2e (27.4%), other sources at 0.09 megatonnes CO2e (18.2%), and waste at 0.04 megatonnes CO2e (7.3%). Over the ten years to 2024, agriculture and other emissions declined, while energy and waste rose.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions began at roughly 0.007 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and remained low through the early 1940s. They rose sharply to around 0.11 megatonnes CO2e by 1946, then generally increased before falling in the early 1990s. Emissions peaked at roughly 0.31 megatonnes CO2e in 2015 and ended at around 0.24 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions started at around 0.001 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually to approximately 0.03 megatonnes CO2e by the early 1970s. They then varied, reaching about 0.06 megatonnes CO2e in 1990 before falling back. Growth resumed from the mid-1990s, reaching a peak of around 0.14 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions began near 0.001 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and grew gradually to around 0.02 megatonnes CO2e by the early 1980s. They fluctuated modestly through the 1980s and 1990s, including a low of about 0.013 megatonnes CO2e in 1993. Emissions then rose steadily to around 0.04 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions were around 0.002 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and remained very low until the mid-1960s. They then increased substantially, though with variation, peaking at roughly 0.16 megatonnes CO2e in 2015. They subsequently declined and ended at around 0.09 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