Luxembourg's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
Luxembourg's N2O emissions totalled around 0.245 megatonnes CO2e in 2024. Agriculture was the largest source, at about 0.155 megatonnes CO2e or 63.3% of emissions, declining by around 0.0055 megatonnes CO2e per year over the ten years to 2024. Energy contributed 23.7% and also fell, while waste accounted for 7.2% and edged up. Other sources, at 4.2%, declined sharply.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions began at around 0.013 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually to roughly 0.05 by 1941. They then increased sharply through the late 1940s and continued upward to a peak of about 0.224 megatonnes CO2e in 1984. Emissions subsequently declined to around 0.155 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions were about 0.002 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually for more than a century, reaching around 0.034 by 1988. They then climbed more quickly, peaking at roughly 0.08 megatonnes CO2e in 2019. Emissions fell thereafter, ending at about 0.058 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions began near zero in the nineteenth century and remained small through the mid-1900s, reaching around 0.007 megatonnes CO2e by 1988. They increased further after that, peaking at roughly 0.019 megatonnes CO2e in 2010, before easing slightly to around 0.018 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions started at about 0.014 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually to around 0.031 by 1969. After varying through the 1970s, they increased to a peak of roughly 0.066 megatonnes CO2e in 2005. They then fell markedly, reaching around 0.010 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
Our planet needs more friends
10,000 people are using Climate Change Tracker for free every month. A tiny monthly donation keeps us going!
Cancel anytime. Payments processed by Stripe.com. You can manage, upgrade, cancel, and download receipts in our self service portal on Stripe. Using Stripe you agree to Stripe's Privacy Policy.
More ways to donate
via PayPal
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