Mexico's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
Agricultural Emissions Dominate
Throughout the decades, Mexico's N₂O emissions have been predominantly driven by agriculture. The Green Revolution in the 1960s marked a significant increase in emissions due to the adoption of high-yield crop varieties and synthetic fertilizers. This trend continued, with agriculture consistently contributing the largest share of N₂O emissions. Notably, the 1980s and 1990s saw substantial increases, reflecting intensified agricultural practices.
Energy Sector's Fluctuating Impact
The energy sector's contribution to N₂O emissions has shown variability over the years. The nationalization of the oil industry in 1938 and the discovery of the Cantarell oil field in 1974 led to increased emissions from fossil fuel extraction and consumption. However, recent decades have seen a more complex picture, with energy reforms in the 2000s and 2010s aiming to balance fossil fuel reliance with renewable energy initiatives.
Industrial and Waste Contributions
Industrial emissions, while not as dominant, have seen periods of growth, particularly in the mid-20th century. The implementation of NAFTA in 1994 likely spurred industrial activity, contributing to emissions. Waste-related emissions have gradually increased, reflecting urbanization and population growth. Events like the 1985 and 2017 earthquakes highlighted the need for improved waste management, potentially influencing emissions trends.
Recent Trends and Challenges
In recent years, Mexico's N₂O emissions have faced challenges from both natural and economic events. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 temporarily reduced emissions due to decreased industrial activity. However, as economic activities resumed, emissions likely rebounded. The ongoing balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability remains a critical focus for Mexico's future emissions trajectory.
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
About the Data
The last available year in all the emission datasets is 2023. N2O emissions come from the PRIMAP-Hist dataset. It is a rich dataset that combines several published sources to create a historical emissions time series for various greenhouse gases.
The Key Insights paragraph was generated using a large language model (LLM) using a structured approach to improve the accuracy. This included separating the context generation from the interpretation and narrative.
Data Sources
PRIMAP-hist The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series (1750-2023)
Update cycle: Every few monthsDelay: Less than 1 yearCredits: Gütschow, Johannes; Busch, Daniel; Pflüger, Mika (2024): The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series (1750-2023) v2.6. Zenodo.