Malawi's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
Malawi's N2O emissions totalled around 5.6 megatonnes CO2e in 2024. Agriculture dominated, at around 4.9 megatonnes CO2e (88%), rising by about 0.25 megatonnes CO2e per year over the ten years to 2024. Waste contributed around 0.28 megatonnes CO2e (4.9%), followed by Other and Energy at about 0.14 megatonnes CO2e each (2.4% each), and Industry at around 0.12 megatonnes CO2e (2.2%). All rose over this period except Other, which edged down slightly.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions began at around 0.03 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose slowly to roughly 0.13 by 1935. Growth continued to around 1.5 megatonnes CO2e in 2005, then accelerated sharply. Emissions peaked at about 4.9 megatonnes CO2e in 2023 and ended at around 4.9 in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions were close to zero in 1851, at around 0.002 megatonnes CO2e, and increased gradually to about 0.11 by 1991. They then remained broadly stable, fluctuating around 0.11 to 0.13 megatonnes CO2e. Emissions peaked at roughly 0.13 in 2011 and ended at around 0.13 in 2024.
Historic Industry Emissions
Industrial emissions began near zero in 1851 and remained very small through the early twentieth century, reaching around 0.002 megatonnes CO2e by 1935. They rose gradually to roughly 0.04 in 1985, then continued upward. Emissions reached their peak and final level of around 0.12 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions started at around 0.004 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually to roughly 0.09 by the mid-1990s. Growth continued thereafter, accelerating after the early 2000s from around 0.12 megatonnes CO2e. Emissions peaked at, and ended 2024 at, approximately 0.28 megatonnes CO2e.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions began at around 0.005 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and increased to roughly 0.12 by 1991. They then fluctuated, falling as low as about 0.09 in 1997 before reaching a peak of around 0.15 in 2012. Emissions ended at approximately 0.14 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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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